New Year begins with a shiver: Arctic Blast sends temperatures plummeting to -6C in a single day with extra snow and ice warnings in place
The New Year has started with an Arctic blast which sent temperatures plummeting to -6C overnight, as more snow and ice warnings continue into today.
As the first full moon of the year loomed over Britain on Friday night, heavy snowfall and freezing conditions descended on large parts of the country.
Multiple cold weather alerts remain active on Saturday as the UK looks set to shiver through the first weekend of them 2026.
Six yellow weather warnings for snow and ice are in place, with the latest warnings reaching into Monday, while several amber snow warnings for northern Scotland and Shetland are in place throughout Saturday.
The Met Office said areas covered by the amber alerts could see 10-20cm of snow at lower altitudes and 30-40cm of snow on higher ground, while winds could cause blizzards.
It follows a bitterly cold night which saw the mercury plunge below 0C across the UK, and fall to -6C in Hurn, Dorset.
This morning snow has already resulted in widespread disruption to roads and railways in parts of northern Scotland, and the Met Office has warned of a risk of power cuts, communities being cut off, and vehicles becoming stranded.
Two amber weather warnings in Scotland were in force from noon on Friday until 12pm today, with a yellow warning for snow and ice covering the the whole country north of Glasgow until lunchtime.
The fountains and ground at Trafalgar Square in central London froze over after a night of sub-zero temperatures in the capital
A man clears snow from his car in Kincardine, Scotland, where an amber warning remains in palce
Elsewhere, a yellow warning for snow and ice is in place across western Wales until 10am, and on the east coast until midnight.
A yellow warning for ice is also in place in the southwest until 10am, while snow and ice warnings are also in place across the whole of northern Ireland until noon.
Daytime temperatures are expected to remain in the low single figures for much of the country on Saturday, and below freezing in parts of northern Scotland.
Met Office chief meteorologist Rebekah Hicks said: ‘Arctic air and brisk northerly winds are gripping the UK as we start the new year.
‘Snow and ice warnings remain in force for many areas, with the risk of heavy snow showers, especially across northern Scotland and over higher ground elsewhere, though many inland areas will stay largely sunny and clear.
‘Bitterly cold conditions will persist through the weekend and into next week, with daytime temperatures struggling to rise above freezing for some, and overnight lows dipping to minus double figures in places.
‘We urge people to stay WeatherAware, keep up to date with the forecasts and plan ahead as icy roads and slippery surfaces are likely.’
The Met Office said the mercury dropped as low as -5.7C at Drumnadrochit on the shore of Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands on Friday.
The public were advised not to enter Trafalgar Square early on Saturday morning due to danger posed by ice
Snow on the ground surrounding the Horseshoe Pass in Denbighshire, North Wales, on Friday
Snow falls on the A41 near Tring in Hertfordshire in the early hours of Friday morning
People wrapped up against the cold weather to take a walk through the snow in Scotland on Friday
One dramatic video from Friday showed a car colliding with another vehicle after the driver lost control on thick ice in a country road near Ivinghoe in Buckinghamshire
A child builds a snowman on Friday in Ballater, Scotland, where amber warnings are forecast
A Gritter lorry on the A9, south of Inverness, attempts to tackle the piling snow on the road on Friday
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued warnings across England which are in place until 10am on January 9.
Its amber cold health alert means that the weather is expected to have severe impacts across health and social care services.
The alert has been issued for the East Midlands, West Midlands, North East, North West, South East, South West, East of England, Yorkshire and the Humber, and London.
Officials expect a rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions, with impacts also possible on younger age groups.
The British Heart Foundation said cold weather can present specific risks for people with heart problems because the heart has to work harder, which can exacerbate existing health conditions.
The organisation said there are thousands of additional deaths from heart and circulatory disease in the winter months every year in the UK.
Ruth Goss, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said: ‘Cold temperatures can increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes, and people with cardiovascular disease are also more at risk of serious illness if they get seasonal respiratory infections like flu.
‘It’s especially important that people living with heart conditions are well prepared for the cold snap this winter by wrapping up warm and having their free flu jab.’
A major rescue operation was launched at Withernsea on the East Yorkshire coast on Friday afternoon – two people have been confirmed to have died
HM Coastguard deployed a helicopter to the scene after people got into difficulty in the water
Meanwhile, NHS South West London urged people to ensure they have sufficient food and medicine, keep bedroom windows closed, wear multiple layers of thinner clothing and ‘heat rooms you spend most time in, to 18C if you can’.
Sir Sadiq Khan said homeless people in London will be sheltered with temperatures set to plummet below freezing during ice-cold evenings.
The Mayor’s Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) has been activated to provide emergency accommodation for rough sleepers.
It comes after a 67-year-old man who was pulled from the water during a major rescue operation off the East Yorkshire coast died.
A second body was later recovered from the sea before search efforts were called off shortly after midnight.
They were set to resume at first light today as authorities search for one more person.
Rescue crews launched a dramatic search following reports of a ‘number of people in difficulty in the water’, near Withernsea, East Riding of Yorkshire, on Friday afternoon as the Arctic chill grips Britain.
HM Coastguard, Yorkshire Ambulance Service, Humberside Police, and Humberside Fire and Rescue all scrambled crews to Withernsea at around 3.15pm to try and rescue those in the freezing sea.
Yorkshire Ambulance Service initially said four people had entered the water. But by 7.15pm on Friday, HM Coastguard said it was searching for several people, having previously said it was reporting to ‘a number of people in difficulty in the water’.
Humberside Police has confirmed that the man was pulled from the water, but tragically died shortly after at the scene.
The rescue operation continued into the night amid freezing temperatures.
It comes just one day after people were not allowed to enter the sea for the annual New Year’s Day swim event due to large breaking waves, and amid a yellow weather warning for snow and ice on the Yorkshire coast.
Snow showers are expected overnight, with the Met Office reporting a likelihood of around one to three cm of snow, with up to eight cm possible in places.
