BRITS will be hit by snow, freezing rain and 60mph winds on Valentine’s Day before temperatures shoot back up to 12C next week.
The cold snap will finally come to an end next week after Brits woke up to freezing temperatures again this morning.
⚡ Read our UK weather live blog for the very latest news and forecasts.
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An emergency vehicle tries to move snow from around abandoned vehiclesCredit: Stella Pictures Limited
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People ice climb in Derbyshire as the cold snap continues to grip the UKCredit: PA:Press Association
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Vehicles lie abandoned due to heavy snow near Holmfirth, West YorkshireCredit: Stella Pictures Limited
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Kelso, on the Scottish Borders, seen blanketed in snowCredit: Alamy Live News
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Cars have been abandoned on Saddleworth Moor in West YorkshireCredit: Stella Pictures Limited
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Members of the public take pictures of icicles on the Trafalgar Square fountainsCredit: Getty Images – Getty
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Longframlington, Northumberland, covered in snow on Saturday morningCredit: North News and Pictures
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Winter scenes from Inverleith park in Edinburgh yesterdayCredit: Euan Cherry
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A police car near Longframlington, Northumberland, on Saturday morningCredit: North News and Pictures
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People ice climb on the frozen Kinder Downfall, High Peak in Derbyshire on SaturdayCredit: PA:Press Association
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A bodyboarder attempts to take photos in the sea as the waves crash against the Newlyn pier in CornwallCredit: Getty Images – Getty
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Northern Ireland will be hit by more snow over the weekendCredit: Pacemaker Press
There are still a couple of cold days and weather warnings to get through before the milder weather sweeps across the UK, the Met Office said.
A mix of rain, snow over northern hills and some freezing rain over higher ground in Scotland and northern England will move in tomorrow morning.
“There are still some wintry hazards to get through over the next few days, with low temperatures, strong winds and further snow especially in Northern Ireland,” Chief Meteorologist Neil Armstrong said.
“On Sunday there is a risk of freezing rain over the high ground in Scotland and northern England, with further snow in the Scottish hills before turning to rain as the warm air takes hold.”
Winds of up to 60mph are also forecast for coastal north western regions.
It comes after Met Office weather maps show temperatures plunged to as low as -3C in the South East and the Midlands this morning.
And the mercury was set to hover around 0C for most of the country for the majority of Saturday, rising to 5C in Cornwall.
Five Met Office yellow weather warnings are in place for snow and ice across large swathes of the UK for most of the weekend.
The largest warning for ice began at 9am on Saturday and stretches all the way from Lincoln up to Inverness in Northern Scotland.
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Five Met Office yellow weather warnings are in place for snow and iceCredit: MetOffice
It states that “treacherous ice” may develop following freezing rain in affected areas, adding that “significant disruption” to transport is possible.
And Brits have been warned against perilous conditions on the roads, with fears that ice could lead to “road traffic collisions, road closures and longer journey times by public and private transport”.
The Met Office said there is also a “small chance of injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces”.
‘TREACHEROUS ICE’
Tomorrow, the Met Office has issued two separate warnings for wind and ice.
The wind warning, which covers the North East coast of Northern Ireland and the North West coast of Scotland, warns that “large waves” are likely as a result of strong gales.
Gusts could reach 75mph in affected areas, with ferry services at risk of cancellation.
COLD SNAP ENDS
It comes before temperatures shoot up to double figures again next week.
“For the past week the UK has been in a very cold airmass with temperatures well below average, this will change through the weekend as milder air moves in from the Atlantic and pushes that cold airmass out into the North Sea,” Armstrong said.
“Where temperatures were close to freezing in many places last week, we could expect to see 11C or 12C next week.”
A Met Office spokesperson confirmed to The Sun Online that temperatures will rocket to 13C in London and Bristol on Monday following the cold snap.
And on Tuesday, Manchester and the North West will also see 12C temperatures after an icy blast this weekend.
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Gulls rest upon surface ice on a partially frozen pond on Ham Common, London on SaturdayCredit: PA:Press Association
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A man stands next to a giant snowman while looking out to sea at Sandhaven Beach in South Shields, South Tyneside on Friday afternoonCredit: North News and Pictures
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Icicles form on tree branches amid freezing temperatures in Much Hadham, HertfordshireCredit: Alamy Live News
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The seafront at Swanage in Purbeck, Dorset covered in sea foam as high winds and spring tides combinedCredit: Bournemouth News
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A snowman wearing a facemask in Southend-on-Sea, EssexCredit: PA:Press Association
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Snow covers the ground around Leeds castle in Broomfield, southeast EnglandCredit: AFP or licensors
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The Thames River in Teddington, South West London, has frozen over for the first time in over 60 yearsCredit: SWNS:South West News Service
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A satellite image shows the UK blanketed in heavy snowCredit: EPA
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Large snowdrifts alongside the B6278 road between Teesdale and Weardale in County DurhamCredit: Alamy Live News
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A snow family, and a cardboard Boris Johnson, is helping to spread a little bit of joy in Frinton, EssexCredit: SWNS:South West News Service
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Frozen icicles hang from a tunnel in Chee Dale, DerbyshireCredit: Rachel Rennie/Triangle News
It comes after the River Thames froze over for the first time in 60 years as the Beast from the East 2 continues to blast Britain.
The “extreme freeze” has sent temperatures tumbling with more heavy snow on the way.
Temperatures in London dropped to -2C on Thursday as Storm Darcy battered Britain with a sub-zero cold snap.
As a result of the bitter chill from the Baltic, a huge section of the Thames froze over at Teddington, South West London.
The last time the river completely froze over was in January 1963 which saw the coldest winter for more than 200 years.
It brought blizzards, snow drifts and temperatures of -20C and even saw some parts of the sea freeze over.
The UK experienced the coldest February night for 25 years on Wednesday, with temperatures falling to below -20C in some areas.
Braemar, Scotland, saw the mercury fall to -23C in the early hours – the coldest temperature recorded in the UK since the -27C which hit Altnaharra in Scotland in December 1995.
A video taken in the village of Boat of Garten, near to Braemar, showed a cup of hot water instantly turning to ice when thrown into the air.
And a picture posted by Scot Rail showed large blocks of ice had formed underneath one of its high-speed trains.
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Skiers head to the Town Moor in Newcastle for another day of fun in the snowCredit: North News and Pictures
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A digger gets to work removing snow on Crete Road in Folkestone, KentCredit: PA:Press Association
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Ruari Macdonald digs out the Weather Station at Cairngorm mountain after it was buried in snow driftsCredit: Northpix
A record low temperature for February was recorded in England and Wales for the second night running as parts of North Yorkshire dipped below minus 15C.
The Met Office said winds of up to 50mph were hitting the western isles of Scotland on Friday morning but that strong gusts would be felt across the UK.
Temperatures in Ravensworth dropped to minus 15.3C overnight on Thursday, having previously recorded an all-time low of minus 13.1C on Wednesday night.
Freezing temperatures also remained in Scotland, with minus 15.4C recorded at Kinbrace in Sutherland, but the Met Office said it was unlikely to fall lower than earlier in the week.
FREEZING COLD
Fifteen weather stations recorded their lowest temperatures ever for February.
The mercury also registered freezing temperatures in the Scottish Highlands, with -21.3C in Kinbrace and -18.2 in Strathallan.
The lowest temperature recorded in England and Wales was at Ravensworth, in north Yorkshire, which dropped to -13.1C.
Oli Claydon, a spokesman for the Met Office, said that some of the records in temperatures had been broken by “quite some way”.
He added: “Usually you’d expect records to be broken by point such-and-such of a degree but here we’re looking at big differences.”
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Ice climbers tackle a frozen waterfall at the Slochd, 15 miles south of InvernessCredit: Northpix
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A Scottish farmer with a 25ft high snow tower in AberdeenshireCredit: Deadline News
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A dog out for a walk in the snow in Southend, EssexCredit: Louis Wood – Commissioned by The Sun
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A woman pulls a child on a sledge in the snow in North Shields, Tyne and WearCredit: PA:Press Association
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Snow covers the ground around Leeds Castle in KentCredit: AFP or licensors
We can now confirm that last night was the coldest February night across the UK since 23rd February 1955 🌡️ 📉
That includes the infamous winter of 1962/1963 ❄️
The #temperature in Braemar, Aberdeenshire fell to minus 23.0 °C at 08:13 this morning 🥶 pic.twitter.com/NpcdIbg5eC
— Met Office (@metoffice) February 11, 2021
It comes after councils across England urged people to take “extra care” in the dangerous conditions and several were forced to briefly suspend waste collection services.
Conservative MP Jeremy Hunt took part in a House of Commons debate wearing a sling, hours after breaking his arm whilst jogging.
The chairman of the Health and Social Care Committee told MPs he had spent the morning at the Royal Surrey County Hospital after slipping in the icy conditions.
Health chiefs have also issued a cold weather alert for the whole of Britain, saying the chill could have “a serious impact on health”.
Dr Owen Landeg, Group Leader, Extreme Events and Health Protection at Public Health England, warned: “Cold weather can have a serious impact on health, particularly for older people and those with heart and lung problems, as it increases the risks of heart attacks, strokes and chest infections.
“So it’s really important during this particularly cold period, to keep checking on frail or older neighbours or relatives, especially those living alone or who have serious illnesses.”
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Ice climbers ascend Kinder Downfall, a frozen waterfall in the Peak District National ParkCredit: AFP or licensors
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Two wild swimmers go for a dip at Portobello beach in EdinburghCredit: Getty Images – Getty
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Snowball fights at South Marine Park in South Shields, South TynesideCredit: North News and Pictures
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The sea turning to ice at Aldingham Beach, South CumbriaCredit: Bav Media
The NHS said that, despite the tough conditions, many vaccination centres have remained open, and any missed appointments will be rescheduled.
The Beast from the East has also caused a rare phenomenon in Britain – raging wild fires.
The extreme cold caused curing or drying out vegetation contributing to fires in Devon, Cornwall and Scotland.
Area commander Bruce Farquharson, from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, said winter fires were not uncommon due to extreme cold “curing” or drying out vegetation, and happened in Antarctica, Norway and Scandinavia.
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He said: “It is counter-intuitive for almost everybody but the risk is there, the vegetation is tinder dry and it just takes the slightest spark to ignite the fire and it will burn very quickly and spread very quickly.”
A huge fire fuelled by fierce winds that engulfed swathes of Dartmoor on Thursday night was understood to have stopped spreading by Friday morning.
The moorland blaze, understood to have been near Tavy Cleave, north of Tavistock, Devon could be seen from miles away and at one stage was described as being around three miles wide.
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People look at the frozen fountain in London’s Trafalgar SquareCredit: Aaron Chown
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A worker clears snow from cars at Chester Motors in Stanley, County DurhamCredit: North News and Pictures
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Three friends on a sledge at Knole Park in Sevenoaks, KentCredit: London News Pictures
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A snowy landscape in Rutland, West MidlandsCredit: Paul Marriott
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Police survey the scene after large crowds of people went to the Town Moor in NewcastleCredit: North News and Pictures
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