Forecast Predicts Snowfall with Warnings Issued Amidst Plunging Temperatures… Parts of the United Kingdom are bracing for frigid conditions on Friday, with temperatures potentially plummeting to -10C (14F). The ongoing cold wave is expected to bring snow, particularly to the UK’s eastern regions.
A weather alert for yellow ice and snow remains active along the eastern areas of Scotland and England until 11:00 GMT. Regions with higher elevations, such as the North York Moors and certain areas in Scotland, are forecast to receive additional snowfall. Thursday night recorded the UK’s lowest temperatures since mid-March, dropping to -9.4C in Cumbria.
In many urban and suburban areas, temperatures ranged from -3C to -6C. Notable cities experienced significant cold, with Manchester and Edinburgh at -5C, and south-west London and Birmingham at -3C. Snowfall was observed across southwest England, Yorkshire, the North East, and Scotland.
More than 30 schools in Cornwall closed for the day or opened late due to hazardous conditions while in County Durham, police said snowy conditions led to some crashes on the roads. Overnight from Thursday into Friday morning, some of the coldest places were:
- England: Shap, Cumbria -9.4C
- Scotland: Eskdalemuir, Dumfries and Galloway -8C
- Northern Ireland: Katesbridge, Co Down -6.2C
- Wales: Whitchurch, Pembrokeshire -6C
Yellow warnings for ice for Northern Ireland and south-west England ended at 10:00, but in some central and south-eastern areas of England freezing fog posed an additional hazard on Friday morning.
Yellow Met Office warnings mean people could face hazardous conditions, with disruption and delays likely on roads and railways and icy patches on roads and pavements.
Temperatures during the day will barely get above 0C across many areas but towards the evening, with clear skies and light winds, it will quickly go well below freezing.
The Met Office told the PA news agency there could be 2cm (0.79in) to 5cm (2in) of snow for areas 100m (328ft) to 200m (656ft) above sea level, particularly Northern Ireland and western Scotland.
Friday night will be even colder than previous nights with temperatures into Saturday morning widely -4 to -8C and possibly -10C in north-east Scotland. As for snow, there will be further wintry showers for a time around North Sea coasts but into the weekend some rain or sleet and snow showers will start coming in from the west.
There is even the chance of perhaps some significant snow in Wales, the Midlands and parts of northern England by Sunday morning, even at low levels. Separately, the UK Health Security Agency has issued an amber cold-health alert for the health sector for northern regions of England, meaning “significant impacts are probable”.
The amber alert indicates that the cold weather is likely to affect the whole health service, with the potential for the entire population to be at risk, the agency says. The alert is in place for the East Midlands, West Midlands, North West, North East and Yorkshire and the Humber until 5 December.
Source: BBC
