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Britain is bracing for what could be the coldest January night in 14 years as temperatures threaten to drop as low as -15C and heavy snow continues to wreak havoc.
Yellow weather warnings for snow and ice cover vast swathes of the UK until Thursday, with the Met Office warning some rural communities face being cut off during the “cold plunge of Arctic air”.
Scotland, Northern Ireland and the north of England are expected to be the worst affected, with residents told to brace for travel chaos and possible power cuts.
More than 120 schools were forced to close in Scotland on Tuesday because of heavy snow, with the country’s justice secretary confirming councils had nearly 500,000 tonnes of salt at their disposal to deal with the cold snap.
The Met Office said parts of the UK were currently in the grips of an Arctic plume, which has moved south across the whole country over the past few days and made it 5 to 6C lower than usual for this time of year.
Met Office forecaster Craig Snell predicted temperatures could plunge to as low as -15C in parts of the UK on Tuesday night, as he said people should “certainly” expect a very cold spell into Wednesday.
A snowplough on the A66 near Keswick in Cumbria
(PA)
People pulling sledges in snowy conditions in Crow Park at Derwent Water near Keswick, Cumbria
(PA)
Police services dealt with multiple incidents across the UK on Tuesday morning after the RAC reported that the start of the week would be the busiest of the winter with 20 breakdown calls every minute.
The Roads Policing Unit of Merseyside Police said it had been dealing with “a number of incidents” on the roads on Tuesday morning as a result of the snow, while Lancashire Road Police said its team has been responding to an influx of crashes across the county.
As the UK Health Security Agency issued an amber cold-health alert for the whole of England, emergency weather plans were enforced for homeless people across West Northamptonshire. Its council enacted their Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP), with all known rough sleepers being provided somewhere warm to stay overnight.
Snowy conditions on Derwent island on Derwent Water near Keswick, Cumbria
(PA)
Canoeists, kayakers and paddleboarders in snowy conditions on Derwent Water, Keswick in Cumbria
(PA)
An amber alert means cold weather impacts are likely to be felt across the whole health service for an extended period of time.
The cold snap has also caused havoc for the National Hunt racing which was abandoned on Tuesday due to frozen ground. With parts of the track frozen and sub-zero temperatures forecast for the rest of the week, the course in Lingfield will be inspected to ensure its safety before races over the weekend.
Met Office forecaster Craig Snell predicted temperatures could plunge to as low as -15C in parts of the UK on Tuesday
(The Met Office)
More than 40cm of snow could be seen on high ground in north-west Scotland by the end of Friday as it continues to build up over the coming days, the Met Office added.
Meanwhile, lower ground in north-west Scotland could see between five and 10cm of snow by the end of the working week.
And while unlikely, there is a chance of a few centimetres of snow falling furthest south of England this week.
The Met Office is reviewing the situation and any new warnings could be issued at short notice, it said.
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