National Severe Weather Warning

Cold air is now firmly in place across the whole of the UK, with wind chill making conditions feel even colder. Snow showers will continue to feed into eastern parts of the UK bringing further snow accumulations to the regions that saw snow over the weekend.

A number of National Severe Weather Warnings for snow are in force, with further warnings likely to be issued through the week.

Chief Meteorologist Steve Ramsdale, said: “With cold air across all of the UK any precipitation will fall as snow. Snow showers will continue to feed into eastern parts through the week. Many places will see further snow accumulations with a few centimetres likely quite widely. Some areas will see larger accumulations with 20 cm or more possible for some. Convergence lines, where showers organise into bands, becoming heavy and persistent, are likely to drive these larger accumulations and further warnings are likely to be issued as the locations affected become clearer.

Upcoming forecast

“Overnight temperatures will be notably low through the week, especially in areas with lying snow. We can expect to see -10°C  as far south as East Anglia later in the week. Daytime temperatures will also be cold, only reaching 1 or 2 degrees Celsius for many early in the week. With strong winds as well the wind chill will make it feel much colder.”

Elsewhere, away from the east, although still cold it will be drier and brighter. Deputy Chief Meteorologist Jason Kelly, said: “Later in the week there is a chance of more organised snow affecting some western and southwestern parts of the country as Atlantic frontal systems push into the cold air. There is a lot of uncertainty regarding which areas are may see snow, but for now, southwest England, south Wales and Northern Ireland look most prone”.

Why is it so cold?

Our latest blog explores the drivers behind this spell of cold and snowy weather, which couldn’t be further from the mild and record-breaking wet we saw last February with numerous named storms rolling in from the Atlantic.

With low temperatures across the UK, widespread overnight frosts and wind chill making daytime temperatures feel freezing, Cold Weather Alerts are in place across England.

Dr Owen Landeg, Group Leader, Extreme Events and Health Protection at PHE, said:

“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.

Be vigilant

“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.

“Make a call, or socially-distanced doorstep visit if they live close by, to remind them to heat their home to at least 18 Celsius, 64.4 Fahrenheit and to keep up to date with the forecast. It’s also helpful to check they have enough food and drinks and any medicines they need.”

Weather Observations Website

Keen amateur meteorologists can enter snow depth readings on our Weather Observations Website (WOW). Alongside our network of professional observers and automated weather stations, amateur observations can help give additional situational awareness to our forecasters.

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