Commuters have been promised a much smoother journey to work on Monday — but only after another weekend of weather disruption in much of the country. Weather warnings of severe cold, ice and snowy conditions are in place for today (December 17) and tomorrow with the Met Office having issued a yellow warning of ice for much of Scotland, the North West and Wales today, with this extending to snow for the north and ice for most of the rest of England tomorrow.
A level-three cold weather alert has also been issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) for all of England until midnight tomorrow, which it warns could “increase the health risks to vulnerable patients and disrupt the delivery of services”.
Forecasters say temperatures could temporarily rise tomorrow but this will bring strong winds leading to snow, blizzards and ice and freezing rain, creating hazardous conditions on the roads. However, temperatures are predicted to rise to as high as 14C by Monday morning, signalling an end to the current cold snap and giving relief to travellers who have had to battle against snow and ice for the past week.
Matt Taylor, BBC meteorologist and former Senior Operational Meteorologist with the Met Office, posted a graphic contrasting last Monday's freezing temperatures throughout the UK with the prediction for next Monday. He said: "There'll be a completely different feel for the commute on Monday morning."
Met Office deputy chief forecaster Helen Caughey warned that as the mild air meets the cold air there will be a transient spell of snow, potentially to low levels, especially in the north.
“Add to this the risk of rain falling on to frozen surfaces, and strong winds over upland areas of northern Britain, bringing blizzard conditions, and this could be a day to avoid travelling in some areas, although the snow should turn to rain later," she said. “There is also a brief risk of a period of freezing rain most likely to impact areas from the Pennines northwards, which could result in some power interruptions.”
Peter Jenkins, director of campaigns at Water UK, advised that the rise in temperature could cause burst pipes. He said: “The recent freezing weather has been very disruptive to many people. The last thing we want is for people to experience further disruption as temperatures rise this weekend, putting many homes at risk of burst pipes due to freeze-thaw.
“That’s why we’re urging everyone to check their water pipes are well insulated now and to follow our simple tips to protect homes against weather conditions."
While road conditions should improve in the build-up to Christmas, rail travellers have been warned of more strikes by the RMT union from Saturday December 24 (6pm) until Tuesday December 27. Unite the Union will also strike, affecting East Midlands Railway, on December 23 and 24.
A planned strike by Eurostar security staff for two days this week was called off, although walk-outs on December 22 and 23 are still going ahead.
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