Scotland, England and Ireland brace for snow as temperatures drop
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Overnight temperatures are plummeting well below freezing in many places across the UK, the Met Office says, as wintry showers are expected to continue on Friday.
Rain, sleet and snow are expected to fall before the weekend, with temperatures close to freezing.
Overnight Friday to Saturday, the thermometer will hit -2C in London, -3C elsewhere in the south, and -4C or -5C in the northwest, forecasters predicted.
Met Office chief meteorologist Frank Saunders said: “Where the showers fall as rain, there is a risk of icy patches forming overnight with temperatures widely dipping below freezing.
“A number of National Severe Weather Warnings have been issued and these are likely to be updated over the coming days.”
Sadiq Khan has activated the Severe Emergency Weather Protocol as the capital is set to freeze for several days.
Rough sleepers will have access to emergency accommodation wherever they are, announced the mayor of London.
A yellow alert for snow and ice was in force across swathes of the UK.
But millions of drivers ignore severe weather alerts, a new survey suggested.
Key Points
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Snow from north to south
Temperatures plummeted on Thursday, and although snow fell from Hampshire on the south coast to Northumberland in the north, in most places it settled only lightly.
(PA)
Jane Dalton1 December 2023 06:00
Watch snow blizzard hit Britain’s highest pub
Watch snow blizzard hit Britain’s highest pub The Tan Hill Inn
A snow blizzard and arctic temperatures have hit Britain’s highest pub The Tan Hill Inn, but it is still business as usual. The Tan Hill Inn in Richmond, North Yorkshire, is 1,732ft (528m) above sea level and has been cut off by bad weather before. Guests visiting the pub in November 2021 had to dig themselves out after waking up to several feet of snow, trapping them inside during Storm Arwen. Temperatures plunged to minus 7.2C in England on Wednesday (29 November) as snow fell in Scotland, Northumberland, and Yorkshire. A pub spokesman said: “We are open today with a warm fire for food drink and accommodation.”
Jane Dalton1 December 2023 06:00
Vehicles crash in snow
In County Durham, police said snowy conditions had led to some crashes on the roads.
Durham Constabulary said: “There has been the first main snowfall of the winter across the force area which has led to roads being covered in snow.
“We have already had collisions reported due to the weather. Please be careful if you need to drive this morning, drive to the conditions and allow extra time for your journeys.”
Jane Dalton1 December 2023 05:00
Millions of drivers ignore severe weather alerts, survey shows
Millions of drivers ignore severe weather alerts, a new survey suggests. A third (33%) of respondents to a poll of more than 12,000 AA members said they would go ahead with planned journeys even if a red warning for snow was issued by the Met Office:
Jane Dalton1 December 2023 04:00
Snow falls on Dartmoor
Met Office spokesman Oli Claydon said parts of Dartmoor could potentially see 5-10cm of snow throughout the day, with other areas of the South West seeing “more modest accumulations” of one to three centimetres.
Widespread frosts are expected overnight, with temperatures dropping to -8C in the rural south and -7C in rural parts of Wales.
Mr Claydon said: “The cold conditions are set to remain for the remainder of this week and into the weekend. For those inland it will remain dry, crisp and cold but showers will continue along the east, becoming more north into the weekend.”
Jane Dalton1 December 2023 03:00
Health alerts run till Tuesday
The UK Health Security Agency and the Met Office have issued amber cold health alerts in five regions – the East Midlands, West Midlands, North West, North East, and Yorkshire and the Humber – until Tuesday.
It means “cold weather impacts are likely to be felt across the whole health service for an extended period of time” in those areas.
Jane Dalton1 December 2023 02:00
Snow and ice alerts issued
The Met Office has issued snow and ice alerts for large areas of Scotland, England and Northern Ireland amid plummeting temperatures.
Jane Dalton1 December 2023 00:50
Schools in Cornwall closed
More than 30 schools in Cornwall either closed for the day on Thursday or opened late due to hazardous conditions.
Snow swept across the southwest of England, parts of Yorkshire, the northeast and Scotland, with more expected.
The Met Office issued a fresh ice warning for parts of Devon and Cornwall, which runs from 10pm until 10am on Friday.
(PA)
Jane Dalton30 November 2023 23:20
Yellow weather warning issued
Reminder: A yellow weather warning has been issued due to plummeting temperatures, the Met Office has announced.
With icy stretches, particularly across parts of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, the national weather service has advised that there is a likelihood that schools, road, bus and rail networks could be affected.
Snow in Swarland, Northumberland
(PA)
Jane Dalton30 November 2023 22:12
Will the cold remain next week?
The UK is likely to remain in a north easterly air flow with the cold regime continuing into next week, the Met Office said.
While there will be a good deal of dry, sunny weather for many, showers remain possible, particularly in eastern coastal areas, and these could be wintry at times.
It will become increasingly unsettled and less cold in southern and central areas next week, but it will probably remain cold with further coastal wintry showers in the north.
(AP)
Maryam Zakir-Hussain30 November 2023 21:07