Britons are bracing for a week of snowfall and a sharp drop in temperatures, which will hit below freezing in some areas on New Year’s Day.
Fresh weather warnings for snow were also issued by the Met Office on Wednesday, including a three-day yellow warning covering almost all of England, Wales, and southern Scotland over the weekend.
The yellow snow warning will be in place from 12pm on Saturday until 9am on Monday, and the Met Office said travel delays and power cuts should be expected in the worst affected areas of the Midlands, Wales and northern England - which could see anything between 5cm and 30cm of snow.
There is a “fair bit of uncertainty” as to how far north the snow will spread and how long it will last, the forecaster says, but “significant accumulations of snow are possible”.
It will come after a cold snap strikes the UK before the weekend, with overnight temperatures dropping as low as -5C in some areas.
As of Wednesday lunchtime, three weather warnings are covering the entire UK, which is waking up on the first day of 2025 after multiple New Year’s Eve celebrations were cancelled due to rough weather.
An ice warning covering northern England, Northern Ireland and much of Scotland will be in place from 4pm on Wednesday until 10am on Thursday, as the Met warns of “difficult travel conditions” and “some injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces”.
Snow and ice could cause “travel disruption and difficult driving conditions” across northern Scotland, with a yellow warning in place until 10am on Thursday as temperatures reach sub-zero on Wednesday evening.
The Met Office warns that a band of rain will turn to snow on Wednesday morning within the warning area, which stretches from Aviemore in central north Scotland to just short of Aberdeen on the east coast, Portree on the Isle of Skye and up towards Scotland’s north coast.
Up to 10cm of snowfall is possible in areas above 300m, with up to 3cm likely at low levels as the snow moves south on Wednesday morning. Snow showers will continue through the afternoon, overnight and into Thursday morning, the Met Office said.
This may lead to icy roads and pavements on Thursday with roads and railways likely to be disrupted and “injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces” possible.
Temperatures will hit 0C in central and southern Scotland by late afternoon on Wednesday, before dropping below freezing in some areas later in the evening and reaching as low as -5C overnight.
The entirety of southern England and most of the Midlands and Wales will also remain under a yellow weather warning for wind until 3pm on Wednesday, with a “small chance of injuries and danger to life from flying debris”.
The strongest winds are expected on the coastal regions in the west and south of the warning area, the Met Office says, with gusts of up to 75mph possible.
Dramatic images have also emerged of flooding in Manchester, after amber and yellow rain warnings covering the north west and parts of Wales were lifted on Wednesday morning.
Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Rebekah Hicks said: “A band of persistent and at times heavy rain will linger across Wales and northwest England through
Paul Gundersen, a chief forecaster at the Met Office. He said: “The coastal gales and rain in the south of the UK will ease by the late afternoon of New Year’s Day, while at the other end of the country wintry showers are starting to feed into northern Scotland.
“Northern parts of the UK are already experiencing colder conditions but by Thursday morning the much colder air will reach remaining parts of the south and southeast.
“Overnight we have a series of National Severe Weather Warnings in place with a combined yellow warning for both snow and ice for northern Scotland, while a yellow ice warning is in place as far south as the Midlands.
“Standing water remaining from the heavy rainfall of the last few days will freeze, creating a risk for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians navigating untreated surfaces. Wintry showers remain a hazard especially for north-facing coasts and hills.”
