UK weather: Fresh warnings for ice and snow across UK

The UK Met Office has issued new ice weather warnings, which came into effect at 16:00 GMT on Thursday and will last until Friday morning. These two new warnings cover parts of Northern Ireland and Wales, as well as parts of northwest and eastern England. Previously, snow and ice warnings had already been issued for parts of northern Scotland.

The severe cold weather has brought heavy snow to many areas, and dozens of flood alerts and warnings have been put in place due to heavy rainfall or melting snow. Road and rail services in the affected areas are expected to experience disruptions on Thursday. Manchester Airport reopened two runways on Thursday after being temporarily closed due to "significant snowfall." The airport said that "some departures and arrivals may still be subject to delays."

Currently, there are three weather warnings in effect: a yellow warning for snow and ice in parts of northern Scotland, lasting until 10:00 AM on Friday; a yellow warning for ice in parts of eastern England, the East Midlands, northeast England, Yorkshire and Humber, and parts of southwest Scotland and the Lothian Borders, from 16:00 on Thursday to 10:00 on Friday; and a yellow warning for ice in parts of Northern Ireland, the East Midlands, Wales, the West Midlands, and northwest England, from 16:00 on Thursday to 10:00 on Friday.

Looking ahead to Friday, a yellow warning for ice will come into effect at 3:00 AM for parts of southwest England and Wales, and will last until 11:00 AM. The lowest temperature recorded overnight on Wednesday was -12.4 degrees Celsius (9.68 degrees Fahrenheit) at Tulloch Bridge in the Scottish Highlands. Shap in Cumbria recorded -11 degrees Celsius, Sennybridge in Powys recorded -7.8 degrees Celsius, and Castlederg in Tyrone recorded -7.3 degrees Celsius. The lowest temperature recorded so far this winter was -13.3 degrees Celsius at Loch Glascarnoch on Sunday night into Monday morning.

The continued low temperatures mean that the amber cold health alert for all of England has been extended until 9:00 AM on Tuesday, indicating that the weather forecast is expected to have a significant impact on health, including an increase in mortality. In the Yorkshire Dales, 50-year-old Tristan Rossin and his wife Sarah were stranded at their rented Airbnb. The couple had planned to drive to Greater Manchester but will stay another night after waking up to find six inches of snow blocking the lane to their cottage. Mr. Rossin said: “We’re in one of the most remote places. Yesterday (Wednesday) was fine, but today it’s not so good. We're on a narrow farm track and it's just impossible to drive down.”

He also added: "The ground is very uneven, so sometimes you're sinking down four or five inches and then you might step into a drift and find that the snow is halfway up your shins." He insisted on paying for the extra accommodation after their host offered to let them stay. The RAC has said it is experiencing one of its “busiest few weeks” since the start of the pandemic, with a surge in vehicle breakdowns. Spokeswoman Alice Simpson said roadside rescue teams were “working flat out to rescue drivers” and urged motorists to keep an emergency kit in their car.

Network Rail has also advised passengers to check before they travel, as ice and snow could cause speed restrictions and line closures. The adverse weather is affecting Northern Rail and Great Western Railway. The rail operator has also warned that the weather could affect Merseyrail and ScotRail. Buses will replace trains between Llandudno Junction and Blaenau Ffestiniog until Monday. Transport for Wales said parts of its network were closed due to damage to the tracks caused by the weather conditions.

The winter weather has caused severe disruption across the UK since snow swept across much of the country over the weekend. Around 80 schools have closed across Wales, most of them in Conwy, while Devon, Yorkshire and Aberdeenshire are among the areas in England and Scotland to have also closed schools. There has also been widespread flooding in recent days. There are currently several flood warnings (meaning flooding is expected) in place in parts of England, and a flood alert (meaning flooding is possible) in place in South Pembrokeshire in Wales.

The weather is expected to gradually become less cold over the weekend. After another freezing night on Friday, maximum temperatures across the country will be between 1 and 5 degrees Celsius on Saturday. By Sunday, a thaw will continue in the west of the UK, with maximum temperatures reaching double figures in Northern Ireland and western Scotland, while central and eastern England and eastern Scotland will remain cold and frosty for another day. However, milder air is expected to spread east to all areas early next week.