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Temperatures plunge below zero across much of UK UK hit by icy temperatures as lengthy cold spell predicted
(about 13 hours later)
Temperatures dropped to -4C (24.8F) across large swaths of the UK on Sunday night – but it was not the chilliest night of the autumn so far. Swaths of the UK have been blasted by icy temperatures, with the cold snap expected to return towards the end of the week and forecasters warning of a freezing La Niña weather event.
Forecasters had expected temperatures of as low as -7C – colder than the -6C recorded in Braemar, Aberdeenshire, on 6 November. Snow fell on Monday on high ground in Scotland as Arctic air enveloped parts of the British Isles, but stronger winds than expected meant temperatures did not drop as low as they were predicted to.
But winds that were a “little bit stronger” than expected meant that temperatures did not drop as low as predicted, although they were below freezing in many places and large parts of the country had a frost on Monday morning. The mercury plunged to -4C (25F) in parts of the UK on Sunday night, with the coldest temperatures recorded in Scotland, Gloucestershire and mid Wales.
The coldest temperatures of -4C were felt across parts of Scotland, rising slightly to -3C in Gloucestershire and mid-Wales.
Stepping out this morning? 🏃‍♀️You will need that extra layer - a widespread frost with temperatures below freezing for many #brrrrrrrrrrrr pic.twitter.com/wqCB9tV107Stepping out this morning? 🏃‍♀️You will need that extra layer - a widespread frost with temperatures below freezing for many #brrrrrrrrrrrr pic.twitter.com/wqCB9tV107
Met Office forecaster Simon Partridge said: “We’ve had three short cold snaps over the past three weekends but it will become less cold over the coming days, before another, more prolonged, cold spell into next weekend.” It comes after the Met Office warned a full La Niña weather event was likely this winter. One last occurred in 2010, when most of the British Isles was left covered in snow.
Monday will stay cold in most parts of the country, with temperatures barely reaching double figures anywhere outside of the south-west and south Wales, the Met Office said. Rain will move east from the Atlantic, across Northern Ireland and Scotland. There could be sleet or snow on higher ground in those northern areas. The Met Office said the wintry weather would give way to fog and mist on Tuesday morning in parts of England and Wales, as milder air moved in from the Atlantic.
By the evening, the rain and drizzle is forecast to drift south into central areas. But forecasters said the chill would return before the weekend, and predicted a cold spell from 26 November to 10 December.
The outlook for the rest of the week is for milder, cloudier and damp conditions until Friday, when temperatures are once again expected to drop. The Met Office forecaster Simon Partridge said: “We’ve had three short cold snaps over the past three weekends, but it will become less cold over the coming days, before another, more prolonged cold spell into next weekend.”
The wintry conditions come after an unusually mild and dry October, the eighth warmest since 1910, when records began, the Met Office said. The forecaster said temperatures were kept higher than usual for the season by mild west or south-westerly airflows. The outlook for the rest of the week is for milder, cloudier and damp conditions until Friday.
“Around the middle of the month, ex-tropical Hurricane Ophelia dragged warm air northwards across the UK, resulting in maximum temperatures in the low 20s across eastern counties of England (23.5C in Manston, Kent, on 16 October) as well as hurricane-force winds,” a Met Office blogpost said. It follows an unusually mild and dry October, the eighth warmest since records began in 1910, the Met Office said.
Forecasters said temperatures were kept higher than usual for the season by mild west or south-westerly airflows.