Snow looks set to hit most of the UK in the next few hours, with weather maps turning entirely white across the country.
As much as 21cm of snow could fall in parts of Scotland, with even 22cm in the north of England. The rest of England, Northern Ireland and parts of Wales also likely to see some heavy flurries. The weather experts at WXCharts say the snow is set to hit around 9am tomorrow morning, meaning the weekend could be a fun one if you decide to venture out on foot, rather than in the car.
And by noon on Saturday most of the country will have turned white. The Met Office has already issued a rare amber “danger to life” warning for snow from 9pm on Saturday until midnight on Sunday with the forecaster warning that rural communities could be “cut off”. They have also warned that those in the affected area, which extends from Sheffield to Carlisle, may find that they face power cuts and impacts to mobile phone network coverage.
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Snow will arrive in Scotland first
A second amber weather warning is also in place for snow and ice from 6pm tomorrow until midday on Sunday covering large parts of Wales, Birmingham, Nottingham and Manchester. The Met office has warned that “snow and freezing rain will likely lead to disruption to transport and some other services” in these areas.
UK Health Security Agency has also issued cold weather health alerts for all of England which remain in place ahead of a week of low temperatures. Amber alerts were issued on Thursday and will run until January 8, meaning a rise in deaths is likely, the agency said.
Dr Agostinho Sousa, head of extreme events and health protection at UKHSA, said: “The forecasted temperatures 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 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.”
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said on Friday it was “a weekend to layer up and put the heating on” due to the cold conditions. He told BBC Breakfast: “We are heading into a cold snap this weekend and I know there are lots of concerns, not just amongst charity leaders, but also among NHS and social care leaders as well, about the particular risks and vulnerabilities this weekend as temperatures drop, both in terms of risk of accident and injury, but also risk from the cold itself. This is a weekend to wrap up and keep warm, to take sensible precautions about going out and about.”