An amber weather warning has been issued by the Met Office as the forecaster warns of hazardous travel conditions and power cuts this weekend due to snow and freezing rain.
The weather warning for snow has been put in place from 9pm tomorrow until midnight on Sunday as the forecaster warns rural communities could be “cut off”. They have also warned that those in the affected area, which extends from Sheffield to Carlisle, may find that they face power cuts and impacts to mobile phone network coverage.
A second amber weather warning is also in place for snow and ice from 6pm tomorrow until midday on Sunday covering large parts of Wales, Birmingham, Nottingham and Manchester. The Met office has warned that “snow and freezing rain will likely lead to disruption to transport and some other services” in these areas.
North-west England, Scotland, North Wales and Northern Ireland were also given a fresh yellow warning for icy surfaces, in place from 4pm on Friday to 10am on Saturday. Travel delays are possible along with a “small chance” of power cuts and injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces, forecasters said.
Stranded vehicles on the roads and delayed or cancelled air and rail travel are all possible over the weekend as the country battles a week-long spell of wintry conditions. Initial data indicated that Rostherne in Cheshire and Yeovilton in Somerset dropped to minus 5C overnight, just shy of previous estimates which suggested the mercury could dip as low as minus 8C.
In Scotland, Eskdalemuir in Dumfries and Galloway felt the same chilly temperatures, hitting minus 5C at 11pm on Thursday. The coldest temperature recorded in January last year was minus 14C, in Dalwhinnie in the Scottish Highlands.
UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) cold weather health alerts for all of England remain in place ahead of a week of low temperatures. Amber alerts were issued on Thursday and will run until January 8, meaning a rise in deaths is likely, the agency said.
Dr Agostinho Sousa, head of extreme events and health protection at UKHSA, said: “The forecasted temperatures can have a serious impact on the health of some people, including those aged 65 and over and those with pre-existing health conditions, and it is therefore vital to check in on friends, family and neighbours that are most vulnerable. These people could be more at risk of heart attacks, stroke and chest infections as a result of cold temperatures.”
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said on Friday it was “a weekend to layer up and put the heating on” due to the cold conditions. He told BBC Breakfast: “We are heading into a cold snap this weekend and I know there are lots of concerns, not just amongst charity leaders, but also among NHS and social care leaders as well, about the particular risks and vulnerabilities this weekend as temperatures drop, both in terms of risk of accident and injury, but also risk from the cold itself. This is a weekend to wrap up and keep warm, to take sensible precautions about going out and about.”
Councils across London and southern England have activated emergency measures including additional accommodation to help rough sleepers stay safe during the cold snap. James Lally, services director of homelessness charity St Mungo’s, said: “Access to a safe and warm place to live is vital for those experiencing homelessness all year round – and during freezing cold weather, emergency accommodation saves lives.
“St Mungo’s frontline teams are prepared to respond to this critical situation, and continue to work tirelessly around the clock to make sure that as many people as possible can be brought out of the cold and into safety.”
Dan Stroud, meteorologist at the Met Office, said conditions should become warmer by the end of the weekend before cold weather strikes again early next week. He said: “The second half of the weekend should be in the high singles or low doubles (for temperature figures).
“But temperatures will dive again next week, particularly on Monday and Tuesday. They should start to improve towards the latter end of the week. But there’s a lot of water to go under the bridge until then.”
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