UK snow: Cold health alerts issued as snow blankets parts of UK
1 December 2023, 08:33 | Updated: 1 December 2023, 15:22
South-east England has seen the earliest winter snow in 15 years - with temperatures expected to drop as low as minus 10C in some areas.
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A yellow weather warning for snow and ice will remain in place on Friday for the eastern coast of the the UK, stretching from Scotland to East Anglia. Ice warnings remain in place for Northern Ireland and south-west England.
Hilly areas including the North York Moors and parts of Scotland will see more snow on Friday, forecasters said.
Snow swept across the South West, parts of Yorkshire, the North East and Scotland on Thursday.
More than 30 schools in Cornwall closed for the day or opened late due to hazardous conditions. In County Durham, police said snowy conditions led to some crashes on the roads.
Another widespread frost is expected on Friday morning, with overnight temperatures dropping as low as minus 6C in south-west England, minus 8C in Wales and minus 10C in parts of Scotland, the Met Office said.
The UK Health Security Agency and the Met Office have issued amber cold health alerts in five regions until December 5, meaning that “cold weather impacts are likely to be felt across the whole health service for an extended period of time”.
The regions included are the East Midlands, West Midlands, North West, North East and Yorkshire and the Humber.
UK Snow: latest weather developments
- Further 5cm of snow set to fall today
- Temperatures could drop as low as -10c
- Yellow weather warning in place for east coast of UK
- Schools shut in Cornwall
- UKHSA issues cold weather alert until December 5
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Read more:
-10C big freeze hits UK: Met Office extends weather warnings with more snow forecast for tonight
One of the warmest autumns on record
The UK has had its sixth warmest autumn on record, according to provisional figures from the Met Office.
The mean temperature for the past three months was 10.76C, slightly below the equivalent figures for 2021 and 2022.
The warmest autumn on record occurred in 2006, when the mean temperature was 11.35C.
South-west England had its warmest autumn on record this year, while it was the third warmest for the whole of England.
All of the UK's top six warmest autumns have occurred this century.
This weekend's forecast
Latest weather warning issued
Snow flurries in London
Snow has started falling in London as temperatures felt as cold as -4C.
There was snow in West Hampstead at around 10am this morning with people taking to social media to post pictures and video.
Parts of the UK could see 5cm of snow on Friday with temperatures expected to drop as low as minus 10C in some areas.
Network Rail urges passengers to check before travelling
Network Rail has urged passengers to check the status of train services before setting off
“Our winter fleet will help keep services running as snow and ice hit parts of Britain. Cold weather can pose challenges for the railway, just like road and air travel. Please check your journeys as temperatures drop,” it said.
Met Office extends snow weather warnings
Weather warnings for snow and ice have been extended until 10am on Saturday.
The Met office has said: “ "Wintry showers will affect North Sea coastal districts of England and Northern Scotland during Friday evening and overnight. These are likely to fall onto frozen surfaces in places allowing icy patches to form. Additionally, showers will fall as snow inland, with 1-2 cm possible in places, chiefly over hills."
More snow pictures
100 cars stranded in the snow on Thursday night
Police said about 100 cars were temporarily stuck in the snow on the A171 in North Yorkshire on Thursday night. The road was later closed.
Schools closed by snow
Dozens of UK schools have been forced to close as Brits wake up to snow - see the full list here
