Snowbomb hits Britain: Arctic blast will brings -7C deep freeze as Met Office issues new weather warning for swathes of the country set to be hit
Brits are set to experience a -7C Arctic blast this weekend that will leave some areas covered in snow.
The Met Office[2] has said that whilst February has seen some of the warmest days on record, the nation will experience a frosty welcome into March due to polar air moving through Iceland and into the UK from the west.
The weather service issued a yellow weather warning for the west of England this morning.
Parts of Bristol, Bath, Gloucester, Hereford or Worcester have been affected by the cold blast. Pictures of south Gloucestershire show the county covered in snow.
Bristol and Bath saw widespread wintery scenes, with pictures showing roads and rooftops covered and gardens blanketed with snow.
The Met Office posted on X this morning and warned those in southern and central parts of the UK to take care as ‘heavy rain, sleet and snow’ has travelled into the area.
CUMBRIA: This morning, residents in Cumbria in the north of England were greeted with a blanket of snow
COUNTY DURHAM: A car is pictured crashed on the side of the road as the north of England experiences snow
LONDON: A man sits on a flooded bench in Wimbledon with his two dogs as heavy rain continues to hit parts of the country
CUMBRIA: A man walks across a field of snow as the UK deals with an Arctic snap
SOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE: Houses and cars were covered in a blanket of white snow this morning
The weather service has issued a yellow weather warning for snow today for the west of England
CUMBRIA: Sheep are pictured covered in snow in Cumbria today
BUCKINGHAMSHIRE: A SUV drives into a deep puddle, causing a large splash in Seer Green today
BUCKINGHAMSHIRE: A pick up truck drives through flooding this morning
Met Office forecaster Annie Shuttleworth also warned Brits to expect a freezing start to Sunday, with lows of -7C ‘across inland areas and some sheltered glens of Scotland.’
National Highways South-West also reminded people to take care when travelling in the region due to a ‘flurry of snow’ across the network.
Ungritted roads have left drivers stuck in long queues and the M4 and M5 are heavily affected – with one X commenter warning road users to ‘be careful out there’.
Another X user, posting a picture of their snow-covered garden said: ‘really did not expect to wake up to the white stuff this morning! Happy Spring Folks!’
This morning, residents in Cumbria were greeted with a blanket of snow. Locals were pictured wading through the snow to walk to the shops and trying to uncover their vehicles.
In County Durham, a crashed red car covered in snow left on the side of a road.
The A36 in Wiltshire is closed between the B3414 junction for Heytesbury and the A350 at Warminster after two lorries collided.
Highways England said the trucks ‘lost traction in the snow’ and smashed into each other.
‘Police are on scene and recovery has been arranged,’ they added.
Other crashes were reported on Bodmin moor in Cornwall and on the A2 near Northfleet, Kent.
Meanwhile torrential overnight rain led to flooding on the M4 at junction 13 near Newbury, Berkshire, this morning.
The Environment Agency had 35 flood warnings – the highest possible, with flooding expect – and 148 flood alerts, where it was ‘possible’.
Buckinghamshire experienced flooding this morning, as vehicles were snapped driving through water that had accumulated on the sides of the road.
WALES: A dog enjoys the snow as Monmouthshire in Wales is hit with cold weather
CUMBRIA: A local is pictured wiping snow of her car as we enter the month of March
BUCKINGHAMSHIRE: Following heavy rainfall, areas of Seer Green were left flooded today
WALES: Tintern, Monmouthshire has been hit with snow
BUCKINGHAMSHIRE: A Range Rover drives through a large puddle in Sheer Green today
CUMBRIA: A person walks along the snowy path as locals awoke to snowy scenes
SOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE: Houses were covered in snow as the Met Office put in a yellow weather warning for the west of England this morning
Up to 10cm of snowfall is possible in Scotland, Wales, North West England, South West England and Northern Ireland[3], according to the Met Office.
Ms Shuttleworth said: ‘It’s going to be staying cold through the weekend across the UK but there will be some drier and brighter for Sunday.’
‘For many areas it’s going to be a cloudy and cold night in any clear skies, particularly for western areas of Scotland, some areas of Wales as well, we could be down to as low as -5C by Saturday morning and many areas seeing a risk of some icy stretches on any wet surfaces to start on Saturday.
‘The temperatures will pick up quite quickly on Saturday so any snow will quickly start to melt and any ice will also start to melt. But it’ll still be a cold feel throughout the day.’
Yesterday morning, parts of Derbyshire were battered by snow that blanketed houses and roads – and continued to fall.
Umbrellas were also seen out in London[4] as commuters battled heavy rain, while drivers had to splash through flooded roads in Maidenhead.
England and Wales had their warmest Februarys on record, according to to provisional Met Office statistics.
The average temperature in England for February 2024 was 7.5 C, topping the previous record of 7.0C set in 1990.
Wales saw an average mean temperature at 6.9C for the month, marginally ahead of 1998’s record of 6.8C.
References
- ^ Gina Kalsi (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Met Office (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Northern Ireland (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ London (www.dailymail.co.uk)