UK weather: Yellow snow alert in force as Arctic blast sends temperatures plummeting

The Met Office has issued fresh weather warnings for snow and ice for areas including the North East and South West of England.

One yellow warning, covering areas in North East England, East Midlands, the East of England, Yorkshire and Humber and parts of Scotland, will be active from 5pm on Thursday until 11am on Friday.

Another yellow warning, affecting areas such as Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset, will be in place from 3am to 4pm on Thursday.

The forecaster said: “Showers, wintry in places, will continue to affect northern and eastern Scotland and eastern England through Thursday evening and overnight into Friday morning.

“These are likely to fall onto frozen surfaces allowing icy patches to form.

“From approximately the Humber northwards, showers will often fall as snow inland, with up to 2cm possible in places, and perhaps as much as 5cm over high ground. Further south, any snow accumulations are more likely to be restricted to higher ground.”

The Met Office added: “Spells of snow may develop over hills, especially parts of Bodmin Moor, Dartmoor, Blackdown Hills and Exmoor during the early hours of Thursday before petering out later in the day.

“The highest parts of Dartmoor and perhaps Bodmin Moor may see 5-10cm of snow with some drifting in strong easterly winds.

“Elsewhere, accumulations are likely to be relatively small, perhaps 1-3cm at most, and mainly in areas inland and above 100-200m. In addition to this, icy patches may also develop on untreated surfaces.”

The forecaster said the three lowest temperatures recorded at its observation sites overnight were all in Cumbria on Wednesday, with a low of minus 7.2C in Bridgefoot, minus 6.5C in Shap and minus 6.1C in Keswick.

RAC Breakdown spokesman Rod Dennis said: “We expect to see a sharp rise in breakdowns this week as cold weather is the nemesis of older car batteries. It exposes any weaknesses in battery health and leads to a huge jump in the number of cars that won’t start.

“We urge every driver who has noticed their car is sluggish to start to get it checked by a reputable mobile mechanic or garage as soon as possible. Anyone who doesn’t, risks their car letting them down just at the very moment they need it, whether they’re heading to work or on the way to an important appointment.

“We also strongly recommend drivers pack some winter gear should their cars let them down and they find themselves stuck in sub-zero temperatures. Extra warm clothes, food and drink, plus a fully charged phone powerbank are all a must.”

Knowing when your heating should go on is tricky. You feel freezing, but you know it’s only going to get colder. Do you want to spend that money now?

“There’s no exact time of year when you should turn your heating on,” explains Joanna O’Loan, knowledge manager at the Energy Saving Trust.

“Variations in how well insulated and draught-proof your home is, as well as how the cold affects you and your household, mean it’s a very personal choice. If the cold you’re feeling is becoming uncomfortable, it’s a good time to turn your heating on.”

Met Office Chief Meteorologist, Neil Armstrong, said: “We’ve already seen snow settling in parts of eastern Scotland and northeastern England. As the cold air continues to spread across the UK we also expect to see some snow over the high ground of southwest England overnight tonight and through tomorrow.

“Snow showers will continue along the North Sea coast with a northeasterly air flow, leading to further accumulations over higher ground. 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 through the week so stay up to date with the forecast for your area.”

Ladbrokes’ latest betting odds for snow to fall anywhere in the UK on Christmas Day are 1/2, and it says Edinburgh and Newcastle are the “most likely destinations to see snow”.

But the Met Office urged people to take a prediction this far in advance with a “pinch of salt”.

Met Office spokesperson Nicola Maxey said: “Christmas is still a month away, so it is impossible with this lead time to have any confidence in a detailed forecast.

“There is often a fine line between who sees snow and who sees rain. Sometimes just a fraction of a degree Celsius change in temperature can make the difference between rain or snow falling, making forecasting snow weeks in advance extremely difficult.

“The definition of a white Christmas most widely used is for a single snowflake to be observed falling in the 24 hours of December 25.

“Therefore, snow falls ‘somewhere’ in the UK for more Christmas days than not. But widespread snow falling and lying on the ground is rather more infrequent.”

Yellow – Ice – Northern Ireland

Yellow – Snow & ice – Central, Tayside & Fife, Grampian, Highlands & Eilean Siar, North East England, SW Scotland, Lothian Borders, Yorkshire & Humber

Yellow – Snow & ice – South West England

Yellow – Snow & ice – Central, Tayside & Fife, East Midlands, East of England, Grampian, Highlands & Eilean Siar, North East England, Orkney & Shetland, SW Scotland, Lothian Borders, Yorkshire & Humber

Yellow weather warnings are now in place for snow and ice across large swathes of the UK, including Northern Ireland, Central, Tayside & Fife, Grampian, Highlands & Eilean Siar, north east England, SW Scotland, Lothian Borders, and Yorkshire & Humber.