UK weather: Rare amber warning for snow as temperature plunges to -14C

Weather warnings for snow and ice are in place across Scotland, much of northern England and parts of North Wales until Thursday
Winter weather Jan 16th 2024
A mother and son sledging on the snow in Tatton Park, Knutsford, Cheshire on Tuesday
PA
Michael Howie17 January 2024

People in northern Scotland have been warned to expect further disruption as an amber alert for snow was issued following the UK's coldest night of the winter so far.

The mercury fell to minus 14C in Dalwhinnie in the Highlands on Tuesday night, according to provisional recordings by the Met Office, reportedly the lowest January temperature in Britain since 2019.

The Met Office has issued amber warnings for snow between 3pm on Wednesday and 6pm on Thursday in north-west Scotland and the Northern Isles, meaning road delays are likely and some vehicles could be stranded.

Hundreds of schools area again shut in Scotland on Wednesday amid the wintry weather and motorists are advised to drive with care due to "tricky" conditions.

All council schools and nurseries in Shetland and Orkney are shut, while 144 are closed in the Highlands and about 90 in Aberdeenshire, while others delayed opening times.

The Met Office amber warning forecasts some areas could see an extra 15-20cm of snow, meaning power cuts are likely and more remote communities are at risk of being cut off.

Yellow weather warnings of snow and ice have been updated, with much of Scotland, northern England, parts of Wales and Northern Ireland covered on Wednesday, and southern and central Scotland affected by an ice warning.

On Thursday parts of western and northern Scotland, north east and eastern England, Wales and Northern Ireland are affected by a snow and ice warning.

Forecasters had predicted some snow-covered parts of Scotland could reach minus 15C overnight into Wednesday, which would have been the coldest January night for 14 years, when minus 22.3C was recorded in 2010.

While temperatures did not drop as low as that, Tuesday night did mark the coldest night this winter so far, beating the minus 12.5C daily minimum temperature recorded at Altnaharra in the Highlands on December 3.

Freezing temperatures and snow will continue for much of Britain this week due to a blast of Arctic air, before "potentially disruptive" stormy weather lands over the weekend.

A "cold plunge of Arctic air" has moved south across the whole country over the past few days, making it 5C to 6C lower than usual for this time of year, the Met Office said.

The forecaster has said more than 40cm of snow may fall on high ground in north-west Scotland by the end of Friday.

Meanwhile, lower ground in north-west Scotland could see between five and 10cm of snow by the end of the working week.

A Met Office spokeswoman said the low temperatures are also due to how long the cold snap has lasted.

She said: "It's due to the prolonged nature of this cold spell, it will have been lasting for quite a few days.

"A build up of snow, as well, just allows for the temperatures to get colder and colder and we don't often see a cold spell last three to five days.

"The air is coming directly from the Arctic, so it is exceptionally cold air.

"It's staying cold until Friday, and then looking further ahead into the weekend we've got some deep areas of low pressure pushing in, so a big change in weather type, and we could see some stormy conditions by the end of the week.

"The cold isn't lasting right to end of the week, but we have a very different type of potentially disruptive weather arriving."

The weather is forecast to turn stormy on Sunday, she added.

The weekend will be milder, but westerly weather will bring wind and rain - and the potential for more weather warnings as the snow melts.

The UK Government has confirmed thousands of households in England and Wales are eligible for cold weather payments.

BRITAIN-WEATHER
Icicles hang from a frozen fountain sculpture in Trafalgar Square on Tuesday
AFP via Getty Images

They are made to vulnerable people, including pensioners, to help them pay for heating when the temperature dips below freezing.

The payments go to those living in an area where the average temperature is recorded as, or forecast to be, 0C or below over seven consecutive days.

Payments will be made to homes across Cumbria, Oxfordshire, Yorkshire, Northumberland, Norfolk, Staffordshire and Powys in Wales.

The UK Health Security Agency has issued a cold-health alert, which warns of possible impacts for the health and social care sector.

National Rail warned the wintry weather could affect train journeys all week, with services between Edinburgh/Glasgow Queen Street and Inverness running to an altered schedule on Wednesday.

ScotRail said a normal service is otherwise expected to run on Wednesday.

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