UK's record cold snap continues with temperatures dropping as low as -15C
12 February 2021, 11:12
Britain's record cold snap continued on Friday with the country braced for more snow, freezing temperatures and bitter winds of up to 50mph.
The UK saw the mercury drop to -15C in some parts early on Friday morning, just a day after the nation recorded its coldest night in 26 years after thermometer readings plummeted to -22.9C.
Central and northern Scotland will endure the coldest weather throughout the day, while England and Wales will hover around -5C.
A record low temperature for February was recorded in England and Wales for the second night running as Ravensworth in North Yorkshire dipped below -15C overnight on Thursday having previously recorded an all-time low of -13.1C on Wednesday night.
Overnight on Wednesday, 15 of the UK's weather stations recorded their lowest-ever temperatures for February.
Most of England will avoid the snow on Friday, bar the North East's coastal regions, while snow showers will hit north-east Scotland, Met Office forecaster Matthew Box said.
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However, gusts of up to 40mph are expected for south-west Wales, dropping to 20mph further inland throughout the day.
Mr Box said: "It's going to be quite a windy day, which will add to the raw feel given the low maximum temperatures on Friday."
There are yellow weather warnings for snow and ice until noon for the North East, as well as central and north-east Scotland.
A similar alert is in place for Cornwall, Devon, Plymouth and south-west Wales, with warnings of up 5cm of snow in some parts until 11am.
Snow and ice is forecast for Saturday, with yellow warnings in place for east and west Scotland, Northern Ireland and much of Wales until midnight.
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It comes as The Met Office's station in Braemar, Aberdeenshire, recorded a temperature of nearly -23C on Wednesday night, the lowest in the UK since 1995.
The "extreme freeze" also saw the mercury plummet in areas in the Scottish Highlands, such as Kinbrace and Strathallan, to -21.3C and -18.2C respectively.
Oli Claydon, a spokesman for the Met Office, said that some of the records had been broken by "quite some way".
"There's still a couple of days of cold conditions to get through and a little bit more snow in parts of Scotland but the trend is that the weekend is going to herald a change to milder conditions," he added.
Mr Claydon warned that there was still a chance of freezing rain on Sunday and said the Met Office may issue a warning for ice, which would bring "significant hazards".
It comes after councils across England urged people to take "extra care" in the treacherous conditions and several were forced to briefly suspend waste collection services.
