UK weather: Travel disruption and health warning as cold snap hits Britain

Temperatures plunged to -8C as weather warnings for snow and ice are set to remain in place over the weekend.

Two amber weather warnings have been issued by the Met Office, one for snow and ice and another for snow.

The warning for snow and freezing rain covering most of Wales and central England is in place from 6pm on Saturday to midday on Sunday, the forecaster said.

The second warning for snow, covering most of northern England, comes into force from 9pm on Saturday to midnight on Sunday.

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Up to 30cm of snowfall is expected locally in both warning areas, with 3 to 7cm likely in other areas. The Met Office said freezing rain is likely to bring “hazardous travel conditions”.

Sky News weather producer Joanna Robinson described the phenomenon as rain that instantly freezes on cold surfaces on the ground.

Meanwhile, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued cold-health alerts for all of England ahead of a week of low temperatures.

Amber alerts were issued from 12pm on Thursday and last until next Wednesday, meaning a rise in deaths is likely, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions.

A number of yellow weather warnings are also in place across the country from Friday to Monday.

A warning for ice comes into force on Friday afternoon across Scotland, parts of Northern Ireland, northern parts of Wales and northwest England. It lasts until 10am on Saturday.

From noon on Saturday a yellow warning for snow and ice is in place until midnight on Sunday and covers all regions of England, other than the South West, Wales and parts of southern Scotland.

About 5cm of snow is expected widely across the Midlands, Wales and northern England, with as much as 20cm to 30cm over high ground in Wales and the Pennines, the Met Office said.

A separate warning for snow is in place for most of Scotland from midnight on Sunday until 12pm on Monday.

Temperatures plummeted to -5C overnight into Friday in parts of Cheshire and Somerset, while Eskdalemuir in Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland also hit the same chilly temperature around 11pm on Thursday night.

Benson in Oxfordshire recorded one of the lowest temperatures overnight, plunging to -8C around 3am, according to the Met Office, while the village of Shap in Cumbria hit -7.4C.

Dan Stroud, a meteorologist at the Met Office, said: “There’ll be widespread frost across the country from Land’s End to John O’Groats.

“It will be comfortably below where we should be for this time of year and I would expect temperatures to hit -8C in parts of Scotland.”

The UKHSA upgraded the cold-health alert from yellow to amber – meaning impacts from the incoming cold spell are likely to be felt across the whole of the health service for an extended period of time, with the entire population potentially at risk.

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Dr Agostinho Sousa, head of extreme events and health protection at UKHSA, urged people to check in on friends, family and neighbours.

“The forecasted temperatures can have a serious impact on the health of some people, including those aged 65 and over and those with pre-existing health conditions,” he said.

“These people could be more at risk of heart attacks, stroke and chest infections as a result of cold temperatures.”

Temperatures to ‘dive’ again next week

Conditions should become warmer by the end of this weekend, Mr Stroud confirmed, before cold weather hits again early next week.

“The second half of the weekend should be in the high singles or low doubles.”

He added: “But temperatures will dive again next week, particularly on Monday and Tuesday.

“They should start to improve towards the latter end of the week. But there’s a lot of water to go under the bridge until then.”

Railways are likely to experience delays or cancellations, with National Rail confirming that various routes across England, Scotland and Wales are already impacted.

The operator said on Friday that the line between Inverness and Dingwall in northern Scotland will be closed until at least 11am on Saturday because of “multiple landslips and areas flooded”.

Trains between Manchester Piccadilly and Sheffield are being diverted due to flooding, meaning they will not stop at Reddish North, Brinnington and Bredbury.

National Rail said disruption on some Northern routes is expected until 6 January.

The NHS Black Country integrated care board has warned the public to “avoid going out early when the frost is thick or late at night when it’s dark”, adding people should keep their hands free and wear shoes with a good grip.

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In Herefordshire, the Wye Valley NHS Trust told people to “have sufficient food and medicine and take measures to reduce draughts in your home”.

London councils activated an emergency accommodation protocol on Thursday for people sleeping rough in freezing conditions.

The emergency measures, which see extra beds made available, have been active for three nights so far this winter.