Britons hit by coldest night of the season as temperatures plunge to -11C
Britain has experienced its coldest night of the autumn so far, with freezing temperatures recorded in parts of the country.
The Met Office recorded low temperatures of -11.7C at Loch Glascarnoch last night as the cold weather continues after a so far quiet autumn.
While not as cold as the current year’s lowest temperature of 18.9 degrees recorded in Altnaharra on January 11, the latest arctic airmass brought snow to the UK as schools were forced to close across the country.
Cold conditions have led to yellow ice warnings being issued in parts of the UK, from north-east Scotland to the east coastline of England.
While the forecaster warned that heavy rains that would continue throughout the night would bring icing and snow in high places, the warnings continued until 11:00 this morning.
Chief forecaster Steve Willington said: “We are still in the grip of a cold Arctic airmass today and into Friday, which means further showers and icy conditions for some, especially overnight.
“There are currently multiple alerts in place, in addition to new alerts for the overnight period.
He said on Thursday: “Temperatures will fall sharply again tonight, with lows potentially reaching -12°C in rural parts of Scotland and falling well below freezing elsewhere. As temperatures fall overnight, ice will form on untreated surfaces and may cause some travel disruption tonight and into Friday morning.”
The UK Health Safety Agency (UKHSA) has introduced yellow and amber cold health warnings across much of England and will remain in force until 8am on Saturday.
The north east and north west of England have been put on yellow alert as the agency warns of a rise in deaths and increased demand for healthcare due to cold weather.
A change in weather conditions is expected to put an end to the cold spell this weekend, as milder, more unstable, Atlantic-based weather arrives with clouds, rain and winds. The winter dangers experienced last week will end.
“We are considering Wales and the Midlands where saturated ground conditions may increase the likelihood of a low impact,” the Met Office said.
“Conditions will remain on the cold side, but temperatures will gradually decline towards values more typical of certain times of the year. A gradual calming trend is expected as we enter next week; north to northeasterly winds will increasingly restrict rain and showers to the eastern regions, while colder air coming north may allow some wintry weather to set in in the far north of the country by the end of Monday.”
Today:
A cold start with some icing. It will be a cold but bright day for most, but the sunlight will become increasingly hazy. Thicker cloud and later rain will fall to the northwest. Nice feeling in light winds.
A chilly evening, but becoming cloudier and windier with showers moving south-east overnight. It’s a milder night than late, but the southeast is still cold.
Saturday:
Rain is slowly clearing the southeast. Drier, brighter conditions will then follow for a period before further showers arrive in the west. I feel less coldness for everyone.
From Sunday to Tuesday:
It remains unstable with continued rain and showers on Sunday and Monday. There are some bright spells in between, mostly on Tuesday. Less cold, especially at night and often windy.
