New UK weather warnings announced as cold snap continues
Freezing temperatures and snowfall continued across parts of the UK on Wednesday morning after weather warnings covered all four nations.
Yellow warnings for ice and snow were prompted by the first snowfall of the season, which caused more than 200 schools to close on Tuesday. New warnings were announced for parts of the UK going into Thursday.
Icy conditions led to warnings vehicles could be stranded, power cuts may occur and rural areas could be cut off.
National Rail advised passengers to check their journey before travelling.
Temperatures widely dropped to between -1C (30.2F) and -4C (24.8F) across the UK on Wednesday morning, getting as low as -7.8C the Grampians, Scotland, and -7C in Shap, Cumbria.
Further heavy snow fell in northern Scotland overnight, while north Wales and the midlands also woke up to fresh snow on the ground.
Yellow weather warnings were in place for parts of all UK nations early on Wednesday.
They covered much of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland until 10:00.
A snow and ice warning along the east coast of England – from East Anglia up to north of Newcastle-upon-Tyne – remains in effect until 12:00.
A new ice warning will kick in for parts of this area at 16:00, as well as much of mid and north Wales, Northern Ireland, the West Midlands and North West England.
These will last until 10:00 on Thursday.
Parts of northern Scotland and its west coast are covered by snow and ice warnings until 12:00 on Thursday.
A yellow warning means it is likely that the weather will cause disruption to travel, and there is a danger of slips and falls on icy ground.
In north Wales, trains were suspended between Llandudno and Blaenau Ffestiniog until about 07:30, with delays on the line expected until 09:00.
In Northern Ireland, Translink warned of disruption to some services in the Magherafelt and Cookstown areas, including school routes, due to road conditions.
ScotRail said it was struggling to source rail replacement transport due to the weather, after a fallen tree caused disruption to some services in and out of Aberdeen – but tickets were valid on existing Stagecoach North services.
Trains were also suspended between Liverpool Central and Headbolt Lane.
The RAC said it had seen a sharp rise in breakdowns, mostly due to people’s batteries failing in the cold.
Meanwhile, nearly 100 schools and nurseries in Scotland, almost 50 in Wales and at least 30 in England were shut as of Wednesday morning due to frosty conditions.
More snow is expected in parts of Scotland, north Wales and also over higher ground of eastern England throughout the day, with motorists warned of potential icy conditions.
Temperatures in the coming days will be much lower than the mid-November average by day – and are expected to fall below freezing by night.
They are predicted to drop to -2C in London on Friday, -4C in Birmingham and -7C further north.
The average November temperature for London is 11C during the day and 5C at night.
On Monday, Scotland had its coldest early winter night since 1998, with temperatures in Braemar in Aberdeenshire reaching a low of -11.2C.
Elsewhere in Aberdeenshire, a bus ended up on its side in icy road conditions in the New Leeds area. There were no injuries.
The RAC said Tuesday’s snow caused “some of the worst road conditions we’ve seen all year” and urged drivers to travel prepared for a breakdown.
“A blanket, warm waterproof coat and gloves, sturdy footwear and a charging cable and mobile power bank are all essentials,” said spokeswoman Alice Simpson.
Transport for Wales said 13% of its rail services had been disrupted by severe weather, while crashes were reported on snowy roads.
Meanwhile, an amber cold weather alert is in place for much of England – which means that there is an increased health risk to vulnerable people.
The alert is set to last until 18:00 on Saturday, with the UK health security agency (UKHSA) warning that the weather could have an impact on the whole health service and urging people to check on those who may be at risk.
As the weather turns colder, some people may be eligible for cold weather payments – a government benefit top-up to help with fuel bills during times of exceptionally cold weather.
