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Cold snap expected to bring snow to parts of England Cold snap brings snow to parts of England
(about 9 hours later)
A cold snap will grip much of England this weekend, with forecasters warning of gale-force winds, snow and hazardous driving conditions. The Met Office has issued weather warnings for snow or wind for most of the UK, and temperatures are set to fall below freezing.
The Met Office said a band of rain, sleet and snow will move south across northern and eastern Scotland on Friday afternoon, reaching north-east England at night. Areas of high ground in Snowdonia, the Peak District, the Pennines and Scotland were coated in snow on Friday as Arctic winds brought cold weather to northern Britain. Up to 10cm (4 in) is expected to fall overnight, and temperatures will drop to as low as -3C on Saturday night.
The snow will mainly affect higher ground at first, but by Friday night up to 4cm could fall at lower levels. Forecasters warned wintry showers would spread to many northern areas in particular and night frosts would become much more widespread. The cold snap is a marked contrast to the second mildest start to a November on record. Sean Penston, a forecaster with MeteoGroup, said: “It is the first significant cold spell in the south this year.”
Chris Hogan, from MeteoGroup, said Friday would deliver blustery showers, but the conditions would deteriorate into Saturday morning. He said: “Early on Saturday, you’re looking at temperatures pretty much near zero or one across the whole country – particularly in the east, the east will be the coldest.” A band of rain, sleet and snow moved south across northern and eastern Scotland and north-east England on Friday afternoon, and the Met Office said snow could settle in more low-lying parts.
There will be a drop in minimum temperatures of up to 5C. Icy wind gusts of 60-70mph will whip much of central and southern Britain from Friday evening, making things noticeably colder. The Met Office said: “Please be aware of the likelihood of some difficult driving conditions and possible travel disruption.” “Other areas of the UK could see some snow Friday night into Saturday as the band of rain, sleet and snow transfers southwards, with perhaps some small amounts of settling snow over high ground,” a spokesman said. “The combination of rain, sleet and snow and dropping temperatures will also lead to a risk of ice in places, particularly over high-level routes on Saturday morning.”
Hogan said many councils may have to consider gritting, especially in northern England and Scotland. He said: “In the south, everyone’s going to notice how cold it is with a chance, anywhere in the east, of maybe a few flakes of wintry stuff falling.” Central and southern parts of England could see hail and sleet during the night. Temperatures could fall to freezing in the south and perhaps -3C in the north, and the freezing winds will make it feel much colder.
The cold snap will last into Sunday, however the winds will become westerly from the beginning of next week and the conditions should become more bearable. “This cold snap is probably not going to last too long, but obviously it’s late November – it’s not like it’s going to become tropical,” Hogan said. On Saturday, much of the UK will see plenty of sunshine and temperatures between 3C and 7C, but icy winds will make it feel colder and freezing overnight temperatures will lead to frost and icy patches.
Penston said: “Winds will ease over the course of tomorrow [Saturday] morning and into the afternoon, and the risk of showers will be confined to eastern and western coasts, with central areas seeing drier conditions. But it will be very cold again tomorrow night, with a risk of icy stretches on the roads. Minimum temperatures across much of Britain will be -2C or -3C.”
Frank Saunders, the Met Office’s chief operational meteorologist, said: “The Met Office is forecasting strong winds and some snow for this weekend, which means there is the likelihood of some difficult driving conditions and possible disruption to transport. With this in mind, if you have travel plans over the weekend, we’d advise that you keep an eye on the forecast and warnings for your area.”
The cold snap is expected to be shortlived, with warmer weather returning next week.