The UK experienced its coldest night in 15 years on Friday, with temperatures plunging to -18.7C in the Scottish Highlands.
Despite predictions of milder weather, parts of the country will continue to face snowfall and sub-zero temperatures into next week.
This weekend some of the UK has had snow, frost and heavy fog as a wintry chill continues to grip, particularly in north eastern areas. The potentially deadly weather could cause further disruption in the coming days, according to maps from WXCharts.
These maps predict heavy snow across large parts of the country on Monday morning, with depths of up to 14cm expected in 25 UK counties by 6am, particularly around Invernessshire and the Scottish Highlands. Altnaharra, a small hamlet in the Sutherland region of the Highlands, recorded the lowest January overnight temperature since 2010 on Friday night, the Met Office reported.
While snow is forecast to cover most of Scotland at the start of next week, including Ross and Cromarty, Aberdeenshire, Dumfriesshire and Perthshire, England and Wales will also feel the extended chill. Shap in Cumbria saw temperatures drop to -11C last night, and the north-west county is among 20 other English counties bracing for a snowy and chilly week ahead.
Yorkshire, Lancashire, Northumberland, Cheshire, Derbyshire, Shropshire, Herefordshire, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Warwickshire, Gloucestershire and Staffordshire are all predicted to see snowfall on Monday, with up to 2cm expected in the Midlands. A dusting of snow could stretch all the way down to Somerset and Wiltshire, through Monmouthshire and Glamorgan in Wales, and even reach the southern coastline in Hampshire, reports the Express.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has extended its cold weather health alert for the entire country until Tuesday, but temperatures are not expected to drop to record-breaking lows of -20C. Instead, they’re forecast to hover just below freezing, at around -3C in northern Scotland and between 0C and -1C in the south by Monday morning.
Get all the latest and breaking news in Yorkshire by signing up to our newsletter here.
After lows of -18C in Scotland on Friday, temperatures will become milder next week
(Image: (Image: WXCharts))
Snow depths of about 6cm in Scotland and 3cm in the Midlands and northwest are expected to remain until midday on Monday, but milder temperatures and more settled conditions could begin to break the cold spell just 24 hours later. Weather maps show snow depths receding by Tuesday evening, with temperatures returning to average in southern England and remaining drifts being dispersed by rain moving from the northwest over the Atlantic.
The UK Health Security Agency’s amber alerts, which are in place until 14 January, suggest a likely increase in deaths, especially among those over 65 or with health conditions. Met Office meteorologist Zoe Hutton has said that the cooler temperatures expected in the coming days will be followed by milder, “recovering” weather for the rest of the month.
“As we go into Sunday and into Monday, we can start to expect temperatures to recover somewhat,” she informed PA News Agency. “I won’t rule out the risk of seeing something around or just below freezing again on Sunday night into Monday, but it won’t be quite so dramatic as the temperatures that we’re going to experience tonight.”
Milder temperatures will see the snow begin to retreat from midday on Monday
(Image: (Image: WXCharts))
She noted that the UK has been through a “particularly long cold spell” recently, stating: “It has been getting progressively colder each night this week, whereas looking at previous years, we’ve had maybe two or three days where things have been particularly cold.”
“We’re saying it’s getting milder [next week] but by no stretch does that mean [temperatures] are going to be above average. It will just feel comparatively much more pleasant than it is at the moment.”
The Met Office’s five-day weather forecast includes frost and fog across the country, clearing to a bright and sunny afternoon. Light rain and hill snow are expected in Northern Ireland and western Scotland.
Expect low temperatures and frost under clear skies. Some low cloud and light drizzle in the west will slowly clear eastwards overnight.
The southwest will enjoy sunny spells while it remains cloudy elsewhere. Rain is expected to spread across the northwest with temperatures remaining chilly in the east but becoming milder elsewhere.
The south will be dry and settled, with gradually milder temperatures and the occasional raincloud. Meanwhile, the northwest will be more drizzly and windy, with temperatures also expected to return closer to the seasonal average.