Met Office warns of more snow and ice after temperatures plummet to -17C overnight
13 December 2022, 16:49
Snow and ice weather warnings have been extended across the UK after the record for the coldest night of the year so far was broken for the second night in a row.
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The freezing conditions, caused by cold air from the Arctic, is set to stay put for the rest of the week, affecting the entirety of the UK.
Fresh warnings from the Met Office cover northern Scotland and north-east England until noon on Friday, with the extreme conditions expected to cause chaos on the roads and railways.
"Snow showers and icy surfaces will bring some travel disruption," the weather agency said.
It warned that there will be longer journey times and may be "some injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces" as a result.
In the South West, snow and ice warnings are only in place until 10am Wednesday whereas an ice warning is in place in East England until noon Wednesday.
Arctic air maintains cold conditions across the UK for most of this week ❄️
— Met Office (@metoffice) December 13, 2022
But there is a change to milder conditions this weekend as Atlantic air returns from the southwest 🌡️
This transition will bring some #snow to some of us, but the details remain uncertain at this stage pic.twitter.com/DL8p3lidfl
It comes after Braemer in Aberdeenshire, was confirmed as the coldest place in the UK on Tuesday night, recording a low of -17.3C, breaking Monday's record of -15.7C.
The next coldest temperature on Tuesday night was also recorded in Aberdeenshire, at -14.9C in Balmoral.
Scores of schools across the country have been forced to close for a second day due to the cold snap.
Councils from Aberdeenshire to Cambridgeshire reported school closures, for reasons including heating failure, burst pipes and snow and ice.
Meanwhile, the RAC experienced its biggest day for breakdowns on record, with around 12,000 drivers needing help.
RAC Breakdown's Rod Dennis said: "Yesterday was officially our busiest day for breakdowns on record, with around 12,000 drivers needing help, the equivalent of eight every minute of the day.
"Even our busiest day during the infamous Beast from the East in 2018 didn't see as many people breaking down.
"We believe two key ingredients have combined to create the worst-ever winter breakdown cocktail - a sustained period of cold weather with an absence of widespread snow that would otherwise keep people indoors, and a big rise in the number of drivers who can't afford to maintain their vehicles as well as they'd like to due to the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis.
"Today remains an incredibly demanding day for our patrols, with the rail strikes likely to force yet more people onto the roads."
