UK weather latest: New amber snow warning after coldest night of winter; ‘stormy’ conditions on way this weekend
Key points
- Temperatures dip as low as -14C overnight
Amber snow warning issued
How long will this cold snap last?
Explained:What do weather warnings mean?
‘Bitterly cold’ days coming this weekEyewitness: Busy night for Liverpool’s outreach workers as people sleep rough in worst conditions
09:17:42 Are you affected by the snow and cold?
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08:43:59 Amber snow warning issued
In a new update, the Met Office has issued amber warnings for snow in parts of Scotland.
Frequent heavy snow showers are predicted for the Northern Isles and northwest Scotland, which will cause disruption to travel.
An amber warning in this area is in place from 3pm today until 6pm tomorrow.
What do amber warnings mean?
- Travel delays on roads are likely, stranding some vehicles and passengers;Power cuts are likely and other services, such as mobile phone coverage, may be affected;There is a good chance that some rural communities could become cut off;Some delays and cancellations to rail and air travel are likely.
08:43:33 Severe delays across Metrolink tram system
Tram services in Greater Manchester are severely disrupted this morning due to icy weather.
Ice on the overhead lines is causing issues on the trams.
The Rochdale line is currently suspended, affecting services between east Didsbury and Rochdale town centre.
Tickets are being accepted on some buses, while Northern Rail is also accepting tickets between Rochdale and Victoria Station.
Severe delays have also been reported on the Bury line, from Altrincham and Bury and Bury to Piccadilly.
Again, tickets are being accepted on some buses.
Minor delays are affecting other services across the entire tram network.
Metrolink has apologised to customers for inconvenience caused.
08:34:09 ‘Difficult’ driving conditions in Northern Ireland
Police have warned drivers to be careful in Northern Ireland due to snow and ice on the roads.
“Overnight snow and ice has made driving conditions difficult throughout Northern Ireland this morning,” the PSNI said.
“Please exercise caution, particularly on untreated roads. Slow down and increase your braking distance from the vehicle in front.”
The Met Office has also warned to expect icy patches on some untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths, and potential injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces.
08:08:39 Yellow weather warnings for snow and ice in place
Scotland, much of northern England and parts of North Wales all have yellow weather warnings for snow and ice until tomorrow.
The Met Office has said more than 40cm of snow could be seen on high ground in northwest Scotland by the end of Friday.
Lower ground in the area could see between five and 10cm of snow by the end of the working week.
The Met Office is reviewing the situation and any new warnings could be issued at short notice.
What are the warnings in place?
Yellow snow and ice warnings stretch across parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland until 23.59pm.
A yellow warning for ice is in place until 12pm in southern Scotland.
In northern England, yellow snow and ice warnings last until 12pm.
07:38:43 How long will this cold snap last?
Freezing temperatures and snow are set to continue for much of the UK this week.
A “cold plunge of Arctic air” has moved south across the whole country over the past few days, making it 5C to 6C lower than usual for this time of year, the Met Office said.
A Met Office spokeswoman said temperatures are also so low because of how long the cold snap has lasted.
“It’s due to the prolonged nature of this cold spell, it will have been lasting for quite a few days,” she said.
“A build up of snow, as well, just allows for the temperatures to get colder and colder and we don’t often see a cold spell last three to five days.
“The air is coming directly from the Arctic, so it is exceptionally cold air.”
Temperatures will stay cold until Friday, she said – but the weather disruption may not end there.
Forecasters predict there could be “stormy conditions” by the end of the week due to deep areas of low pressure pushing in.
“The cold isn’t lasting right to end of the week, but we have a very different type of potentially disruptive weather arriving,” the spokeswoman said.
The weather is forecast to turn stormy on Sunday, she added.
07:33:42 Temperatures dip as low as -14C overnight
If you were feeling cold last night, you weren’t the only one.
Provisional recordings by the Met Office show there were almost record-low temperatures in parts of the UK.
The mercury fell to -14C in Dalwhinnie, in the Scottish Highlands, while a temperature of -13C was recorded at Glen Ogle, central Scotland.
But predictions of the coldest January night in 14 years were not reached.
Forecasters had said it was possible some snow covered parts of Scotland could reach -15C overnight.
The last time temperatures had dipped that low was in January 2010, when -22.3C was recorded.
Last night did, however, mark the coldest night this winter so far.
07:25:28 Good morning
Welcome to our live coverage as we bring you more updates on Britain’s favourite topic: the weather.
The UK faced another cold night yesterday as some areas approached record-low temperatures.
However, predictions of the coldest January night in 14 years did not come to pass.
Three yellow weather warnings for snow and ice remain in place today, covering Northern Ireland, Scotland and parts of northern England.
It means travel disruption is likely to continue in these areas.
Here’s a quick update on the last 24 hours…
- The Met Office has said Britons will face “bitterly cold” days this week At least two train operators – ScotRail and South Western Railway – faced disruption due to “severe weather”National Highways put a severe weather alert in place on the roads until the end of yesterday.
21:59:10 We will be pausing our coverage for the night
But we’ll be back tomorrow with confirmation about whether tonight was the coldest January night in 14 years.
21:41:55 Network Rail Scotland prepares for cold weather
Network Rail Scotland has issued a video about how they tackle the extreme weather as temperatures continue to plunge.
The coldest temperatures in 14 years could hit the UK tonight, the Met Office has said.
And freezing temperatures and snow will continue for much of Britain this week because of cold Arctic air.
The last time temperatures dropped this low was in January 2010, when -22.3C was recorded.
20:58:55 Gorilla makes snowballs at Belfast Zoo
Ever seen a gorilla make snowballs?
Well, staff at Belfast Zoo were met with a rather comical sight this morning when their silverback Gugas was spotted making the most of the snow.
The zoo was closed today due to the wintry weather.
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