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.”

Most of the UK have woken up feeling a noticable chill with a sudden drop in temperatures.

Up in Scotland temperatures have plummeted to 0C with Glasgow reaching -12

The Met Office predict cloudy conditions in the South of England, with further patchy rain at times, and the southwest might see snowfall.

Elsewhere, they predict sunshine with wintry showers towards coasts in the east.

Most places will remain dry with sunny spells, predict meterologists.

The snowfall yellow warning issued by the Met Office is expected to continue into Friday for eastern parts of the UK.

The weather service warned that icy patches are likely to develop in the eastern and northeastern parts of the country with further showers in the coastal regions.

It warned that some roads and railways could be affected with journey times likely getting longer by road, bus, and train services.

There are also risks of injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces with the likelihood of icy patches forming on some untreated roads, pavements, and cycle paths, according to the Met Office.

The RAC is warning road users of icy conditions this morning as the Met Office said snow has already settled in parts of Scotland and northern England.

“We’ve already seen snow settling in parts of eastern Scotland and north-eastern England,” Met Office chief meteorologist Neil Armstrong said.

The weather service expects to see more snow over high ground in parts of south-west England through Thursday.

“Snow showers will continue along the North Sea coast with a north-easterly 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,” Mr Armstrong said.

The nighttime temperatures are expected to stay below freezing for large parts of England and Scotland, the Met Office said.

Temperatures during the day could drop to single-digit figures while it may stay below freezing this week as the UK is being hit by a blast of cold air from Scandinavia that is causing a cold snap in the North.

The weather on Friday is expected to remain cold with sunny spells and wintry showers towards coastal areas, the Met Office added.

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning due to icy conditions in large parts of Scotland, England, and Northern Ireland.

The weather service has warned of the likelihood of people suffering slips and fall injuries due to snow and ice with chance of disruption to road, bus, and rail networks.

“As the cold air continues to spread across the UK, we also expect to see some snow over the high ground of south-west England overnight and through tomorrow,” Met Office chief meteorologist Neil Armstrong said.

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.”