Big freeze mapped as temperatures plunge to -16C as Met Office points ice warning
Temperatures of -16C are possible this week, plunging Brits into some of the coldest weather in years as a big freeze continues to grip the country with warnings of snow and ice
Freezing temperatures are on the way, some as low as -16C, as weather boffins at the Met Office warned of snow and ice.
Yellow weather warnings are in place across different parts of the UK today and tomorrow, with experts saying power cuts are likely, along with travel disruption to roads, rail and air services.
Overnight, temperatures are set to drop sharply, with lows of -14C possible in Scotland and northern England on Wednesday and sub-zero temperatures expected across the country. Minimum temperatures of -16C could be reached on Thursday night, the Met Office said.
Oli Claydon, spokesman for the Met Office, told the PA news agency it will be “bitterly cold” on Thursday night.
There are four yellow weather warnings for snow and ice tomorrow. They are:
- Southwest England: Cornwall
- Northwest England: Cheshire East; Cheshire West and Chester; Greater Manchester; Halton; Lancashire; Merseyside; Warrington
- Wales: Carmarthenshire; Ceredigion; Conwy; Denbighshire; Flintshire; Gwynedd; Isle of Anglesey; Pembrokeshire; Powys; Swansea; Wrexham
Those warnings are in place from 12:15am until 11am tomorrow.
Ice will also affect southern England, with a yellow warning implemented until 10:30am tomorrow.
The full list of places affected is as follows:
- East of England: Central Bedfordshire; Essex; Hertfordshire; Luton; Southend-on-Sea; Thurrock
- London and southeast England: Bracknell Forest; Brighton and Hove; Buckinghamshire; East Sussex; Greater London; Hampshire; Isle of Wight; Kent; Medway; Oxfordshire; Portsmouth; Reading; Slough; Southampton; Surrey; West Berkshire; West Sussex; Windsor and Maidenhead; Wokingham
- Southwest England: Bath and North East Somerset; Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole; Bristol; Cornwall; Devon; Dorset; Gloucestershire; North Somerset; Plymouth; Somerset; South Gloucestershire; Swindon; Torbay; Wiltshire
- Wales: Caerphilly; Cardiff; Monmouthshire; Newport; Rhondda Cynon Taf; Torfaen; Vale of Glamorgan
In Scotland, a yellow weather warning for snow and ice is already in place in the north of the country. This will be in place until 11:59pm tomorrow night.
A yellow weather warning for snow and ice remains in place in Northern Ireland in counties Antrim, Fermanagh, Londonderry and Tyrone. There is also a fog warning in place until 9am.
A yellow warning for snow across the south of England will end tonight at midnight.
Mr Claydon said the lowest temperatures will be recorded in rural Scotland and rural northern England where there is lying snow, cloudless skies and very cold airflow.
A temperature of -14C would equal the lowest seen in this month last year, recorded in Dalwhinnie in the Scottish Highlands on January 17 2024.
But a temperature of -16C would be the lowest recorded in January in the UK for 15 years, since -22.3C was logged in Altnaharra in the Highlands on January 8 2010, according to Met Office data.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has extended its cold weather health alert for all of England until Sunday.
Amber alerts issued on Thursday have been extended and will now run until January 12, meaning a rise in deaths is likely, the agency said.
Dr Agostinho Sousa, head of extreme events and health protection at the UKHSA, said: “This weather can have a serious impact on the health of some people, including those aged 65 and over and those with pre-existing health conditions, and it is therefore vital that we continue to check in on friends, family and neighbours that are most vulnerable.
“These people could be more at risk of heart attacks, stroke and chest infections as a result of cold temperatures.”
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