Sub-zero temperatures forecast as floods remain

This week, many parts of the UK are expected to experience even more severe cold weather, with temperatures dropping below freezing, even lower than those during the heavy snow last weekend. Weather forecasters predict that Wednesday and Thursday will see the coldest nights of the year so far, with temperatures in some areas expected to plummet to -20 degrees Celsius.

A series of yellow weather warnings have come into effect for the coming days. The latest ice and snow warning covers northern Wales and parts of central and northern England, and is in place until 12 pm GMT on Wednesday. This follows flooding in central England, but flood levels may begin to recede as no further rainfall is expected in the coming days.

On Tuesday, transport disruptions continued, with flight delays, road closures, and railways also affected by the severe weather. People continued to deal with the effects of severe flooding to homes and businesses in central England, and in Barrow upon Soar in Leicestershire, a man had to be rescued from a flooded caravan park. As of Wednesday morning, there were 101 flood warnings (meaning flooding is expected) and 199 flood alerts (meaning flooding is possible) in place across England. Wales had one flood warning and six flood alerts in effect.

Looking ahead, weather forecasters expect that flooding and warnings will decrease as there is no significant rainfall predicted for the flooded areas. But attention will then shift to how low temperatures might drop, particularly overnight. The ice and snow warning in place for Tuesday night and Wednesday morning is accompanied by another warning, also in effect until 12 pm on Wednesday, alerting people to the possibility of ice and snow in Northern Ireland and northern and western parts of Scotland. A separate yellow warning for snow in some southern counties of England will come into effect at 9 am on Wednesday and last until midnight.

The severe winter weather has caused significant transport disruption across the UK since heavy snow swept across many parts of the country last weekend. Hundreds of schools across England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland have been closed, including schools in Yorkshire, Merseyside, the Midlands, and Aberdeenshire. Flights at Liverpool, Bristol, Aberdeen, and Manchester airports have largely resumed after temporary suspensions, but operators warn that some delays are still possible. Some major roads have been closed due to the severe weather, including the A1 in Lincolnshire, which remained closed on Tuesday afternoon due to widespread flooding.

Many areas of the UK are expected to experience severe cold weather in the coming days, with significant frost likely overnight. Temperatures are expected to drop below freezing on Wednesday and Thursday nights, with forecasters predicting widespread severe frosts across much of the UK, with lows of between -3 and -10 degrees Celsius. In areas where snow is still lying, temperatures could be as low as -14 to -16 degrees Celsius on Wednesday night, and on Thursday, snow-covered areas in the Pennines and Scotland could see lows of -16 to -20 degrees Celsius.

This would actually be significantly colder than the temperatures seen over the weekend, when a low of -13.3 degrees Celsius was recorded at Loch Glascarnoch in the Highlands. It would also be significantly colder than last winter, when a particularly cold night saw a low of -14 degrees Celsius recorded at Dalwhinnie in the Highlands. The last time the UK saw temperatures below -20 degrees Celsius was in February 2021, when a temperature of -23 degrees Celsius was measured in Braemar, Aberdeenshire.