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| UK weather: 'beast from the east' hits Britain with freezing temperatures and snow – as it happened | |
| (about 9 hours later) | |
| Back in Blighty, meanwhile, Met Office forecaster Mark Wilson says the UK is facing an “exceptionally cold” night, with the potential for temperatures to plunge as low as -10C in parts of Scotland. | |
| There is further heavy snow forecast overnight for the north east and eastern parts of Scotland and isolated showers elsewhere, he added. | |
| That’s all from our live coverage of #Snowmageddon for today - thanks for reading. | |
| At least 24 people have died in mainland Europe in the past four days as freezing temperatures brought snow as far south as the balmy Mediterranean islands of Corsica and Capri. | |
| Some of the iciest conditions were reported in Italy, where many schools and daycare centres were closed, frustrating parents already preparing for closures next week linked to this weekend’s general election. | |
| Italians’ anger was also growing over nationwide disruptions to rail services as a lack of defrosting equipment on the tracks meant workers having to clear snow and ice manually. | |
| A driver in Turin got a fright when a stalactite broke off from an overhead bridge and shattered his windshield - though he managed to keep control of his vehicle. | |
| Russia’s Gazprom, a major gas supplier to Europe, said it had sent record exports to the continent over the past six days as people turned up their thermostats. | |
| Meteo France has forecast heavy snowfalls arriving from Spain that will blanket most of the country later this week. | |
| There’s plenty more snow forecast this week, as the Met Office is warning: | |
| There's a lot of #snow in the forecast for the next few days; here's the latest on how much you could get ❄️🌨️⛄️ pic.twitter.com/HL1mTBZp9b | |
| Yes it’s rather chilly in the UK, but as always they do winter far better on the Continent, as this image from the Italian province in which Florence is located attests. | |
| The extreme cold expected to hit many parts of Europe could send temperatures plummeting to lows not seen for a decade. | |
| Southeastern is warning passengers that if conditions deteriorate significantly it may need to run an emergency timetable. | |
| We're working closely with @NetworkRailSE to keep the network open over the coming days, but please check before you travel. #UKSnow pic.twitter.com/4iCGHGmjgM | |
| The “beast from the east” has already disrupted train services, forced schools to close and caused airlines to cancel flights. But what sort of consequences could there be for the UK economy? | |
| Periods of extreme wintry weather are rare in the UK, but one of them hit the UK in December 2010, and its impact on the economy was later investigated by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). | |
| Its findings suggested that the cold snap caused a temporary drop in overall economic growth, along with dips in the growth of output for retail sales and the UK’s service industries. | |
| The distribution, hotel and restaurant sector showed evidence of an impact, as “customers postponed discretionary trips because of the bad weather”. | |
| Overseas travel and tourism was also affected, with the cold weather having a “detrimental effect” on the number of UK residents travelling abroad. | |
| There was “no apparent effect” on the average number of weekly hours worked in the country, however, while higher activity was recorded in “computer programming, consultancy and related activities” - an area that could be “less prone to weather disruption”. | |
| December 2010 was the coldest December for more than a century, according to the Met Office, with snowfalls occurring on several days in almost all areas of the country and temperatures plunging as low as minus 21.3C at Altnaharra in the Highlands. | |
| The current cold snap is not forecast to be quite so severe or last as long, and so far this week temperatures have fallen only as low as minus 8.9C, recorded at Farnborough in Hampshire. | |
| What we know so far | |
| Heavy snow and freezing conditions has prompted widespread travel disruption and several serious road accidents. Three people died Lincolnshire in a crash involving a lorry and Renault Clio on the A15. In neighbouring Cambridgeshire, one person suffered life-threatening injuries in one of three collisions on the A47. And in Essex 17 cars were involved in a pile up on the A120. | |
| Hundreds of schools have been forced to close because of bad weather. They include 131 schools in Kent, 62 in East Sussex, more than 200 in Wales and 44 in North Yorkshire. | |
| The Met Office has expanded its amber be prepared warning for snow on Wednesday and Thursday to cover most of eastern Scotland and north-east England. Up to 40cm of snow is forecast for some areas. Scotland’s transport minister, Humza Yousaf, urged Scots to be prepared for “an acute weather challenge over the coming days”. | |
| An updated amber, be prepared, warning for snow and ice has also been issued for Friday for most of Wales, western England and parts of the West Midlands. The Met Office says as the remains of Atlantic Storm Emma clash with cold air over the UK, there is “potential to produce widespread snow, accompanied by strong to gale force winds”. | |
| Dozens of rail services have been cancelled or disrupted. Greater Anglia has suspended several branch lines in East Anglia and warned of cancellations at late notice. Southeastern, which operates in Kent, cancelled several services into London St Pancras, London Victoria and Cannon Street. | |
| British Airways has cancelled dozens flights from Heathrow Airport, while easyJet warned disruption to its flights was expected. | |
| Fen skaters are hopeful of skating on the iced-over flooded flatlands south of the Wash for the first time in eight years. Organisers said if overnight temperatures of -5C continue there is 70% chance of skating on the fens by the end of the week. | |
| This is an interesting statement from the Stansted Express. It says services are returning to normal for the rest of the day but admits that in cancelling earlier trains it was preparing for the worst “in the light of the forecast severe weather” - in other words the fact that it did not turn out as bad as anticipated meant it could have run more services. | |
| Services are now beginning to be reinstated where we can - please keep updated here: https://t.co/WGne5sEMJm pic.twitter.com/kvkBy5D12y | |
| It’s not a good day to be doing this job: | |
| Life Guards on duty as the #BeastFromTheEast brings snow to Horse Guards in #London#Snowmageddon @ArmyInLondon #ReadytoServe pic.twitter.com/AyJFk5L6VS | |
| Southeastern trains has warned of more cancellations on its network during the evening rush hour: | |
| SERVICE UPDATE 16:15: Cancellations to some High Speed services this evening - you may wish to use an alternative route. Reduced service on the Sheerness line - buses replacing some trains. Plan your journey here https://t.co/C5c2v1IeXn / https://t.co/mT7AyierEb #UKSnow | |
| Amid the pretty pictures, a reminder of how difficult it is for rough sleepers in these conditions. | |
| Willie Smith is sleeping rough on Edinburgh's Princes Street as the #BeastFromTheEast draws in. He's trying to raise enough money to pay for a hostel before the temperature drops overnight. pic.twitter.com/oXrVC2SSJD | |
| The sub-zero temperatures mean keepers at Bristol zoo gardens are taking extra measures to ensure animals keep warm during the freezing weather, including giving some animals peanut butter. | |
| Small primates such as the zoo’s squirrel monkeys and tamarins are given small amounts of peanut butter as a special fatty treat, while gorillas are given extra bedding. Many of the animal enclosures are also heated. | |
| Bristol is set for snow on Thursday and the sub-zero temperatures are expected to continue for days to come. | |
| Lynsey Bugg, curator of mammals at Bristol zoo gardens, said: | |
| Many of our other animals are provided with supplementary heaters at this time of year, such as our capybara, tapirs and warty pigs. They also get much bigger straw beds outside to help them snuggle in. | |
| Some animals, such as the zoo’s two red pandas, positively welcome the conditions. | |
| They are native to the mountainous regions of Nepal and Southwest China and their fur is long and thick to protect against rain and cold. | |
| To say the weather has been changeable would be an understatement. | |
| The weather can't seem to quite make up its mind here today! ☀️❄️ #snow #newcastle #beastfromtheeast pic.twitter.com/wNsUrrSi23 | |
| Readers around the UK have been sharing images of the scenes where they are – what they can make out, at least. | |
| This was the picture in Bromley, south London, at lunchtime. | |
| Almost whiteout conditions in Brighton at about 1pm: | |
| And this reader’s usually enviable office view was somewhat scuppered today in Edinburgh. | |
| Some have, however, been able to enjoy clearer skies. | |
| You can continue to share your images and video via GuardianWitness using the contribute buttons above. | |
| Samuel Gibbs picks out the best apps to help you get home in the snow. | Samuel Gibbs picks out the best apps to help you get home in the snow. |
| Kent Police are urging drivers to take extra care after dealing with 160 collisions and 60 other weather related calls since midnight. | Kent Police are urging drivers to take extra care after dealing with 160 collisions and 60 other weather related calls since midnight. |
| It said that none of the incidents have caused serious injuries but they also a series of delays on the roads. | It said that none of the incidents have caused serious injuries but they also a series of delays on the roads. |
| The Maidstone and Swale areas are worst affected and there are currently a number of incidents on the M20 between junctions 7 and 9 in both directions. There are also traffic issues affecting Detling Hill, Bluebell Hill, the A20 in Charing and Lenham and the M2 between junctions 5 and 6 in both directions. All the main roads and motorways in the county are currently open, but there are some lane closures in place which may cause delays. | The Maidstone and Swale areas are worst affected and there are currently a number of incidents on the M20 between junctions 7 and 9 in both directions. There are also traffic issues affecting Detling Hill, Bluebell Hill, the A20 in Charing and Lenham and the M2 between junctions 5 and 6 in both directions. All the main roads and motorways in the county are currently open, but there are some lane closures in place which may cause delays. |
| The cricket season is only two months away. | The cricket season is only two months away. |
| You know the #BeastFromTheEast means business when it manages to hit @TheAgeasBowl! ❄☃️ pic.twitter.com/n6hFD20WpD | You know the #BeastFromTheEast means business when it manages to hit @TheAgeasBowl! ❄☃️ pic.twitter.com/n6hFD20WpD |
| Not great for playing cricket but The Kia Oval is looking spectacular this morning! #uksnow #BeastFromTheEast #snowday #snow pic.twitter.com/WhMXj5KPEz | Not great for playing cricket but The Kia Oval is looking spectacular this morning! #uksnow #BeastFromTheEast #snowday #snow pic.twitter.com/WhMXj5KPEz |
| Snow stops play ❄️☃️❄️The #BeastFromTheEast has arrived at The 3aaa County Ground 🌨#WeAreDerbyshire pic.twitter.com/rOvELJXc6A | Snow stops play ❄️☃️❄️The #BeastFromTheEast has arrived at The 3aaa County Ground 🌨#WeAreDerbyshire pic.twitter.com/rOvELJXc6A |