Britain will lastly emerge from the ‘huge freeze’ after per week of -12C snow hell
The mercury sank to minus 11.7C in the early hours of Friday at Loch Glascarnoch in the Scottish Highlands, although forecasters say temperatures are due to become more ‘mild’
Britain will finally emerge from the Big Freeze this weekend after a week of -12C snow hell.
The mercury sank to minus 11.7C in the early hours of Friday (November 21) at Loch Glascarnoch in the Scottish Highlands, the coldest night of the autumn so far.
But there is set to be a break from the bone-chilling conditions in the coming days.
Met Office spokesman Ollie Claydon said: “Temperatures are to become more mild for the time of year after this cold snap. Though it will be less cold rather than very mild – a return to normal, or average, temperatures.
“There will be some wintry showers over the Scottish mountains, as you would expect, but it (precipitation) will be falling as rain rather than snow in most areas.”
Meanwhile, The UK Health Security Agency put yellow and amber cold health alerts in place across most of England, set to remain in place until Saturday (November 22) at 8am. The north east and north west of England were placed under amber alert, as the agency warned of a rise in deaths due to the cold weather and an increase in demand for health services.
The Met Office added: “As we head into next week, a gradual settling trend is expected; north to northeasterly winds will confine rain and showers increasingly to eastern areas, whilst cooler air arriving in the north may allow some wintriness to develop in the extreme north of the country by the end of Monday.”
The milder weather is set to last at least until Thursday.
Elsewhere, RAC Breakdown said the roadside assistance firm saw its busiest day of the year since January on Thursday with vehicle breakdowns spiking. Spokeswoman Alice Simpson said: “The ongoing cold snap and freezing temperatures means our patrols are exceptionally busy, with breakdowns almost 50% higher than what we’d usually expect at this time of year.”
It comes after hundreds of schools were forced to close, roads were disrupted and homes were left without power because of snow.
About 100 schools closed in northern Scotland on Thursday, while in Wales, 36 were closed in Pembrokeshire, 14 in Carmarthenshire and seven in Ceredigion. In North Yorkshire, 33 schools were closed.
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