Brits are braced for yet more snow amid an amber weather warning issued by the Met Office earlier today – temperatures could also plummet to -16C in some areas this week
16:04, 08 Jan 2025Updated 16:05, 08 Jan 2025
Boffins warned people could be stranded on roads(Image: Getty Images)
Weather boffins have upgraded weather alerts for parts of England to amber warnings for snow as experts say the country should be braced for temperatures as low as -16C.
The warning is in place from 2:27pm today until 9pm tonight and could see people stranded on roads, power cuts and some areas being cut off, the Met Office warned.
“Sleet and snow is expected to continue this afternoon and evening with accumulations of 2-5 cm on high ground above 150m,” boffins at the meteorological organisation said. “Up to 10 cm above about 250 m, leading to some travel disruption. The sleet and snow will ease from the west during the first part of Wednesday night.”
An amber warning stretches from Cornwall through Devon to Somerset(Image: Met Office)
Experts recommend people in the area avoid driving and only make essential journeys and prepare for power cuts with torches and batteries.
The full list of areas that come under the weather warning are all in southwest England and include Devon, Dorset, Somerset and Cornwall.
Snow and sleet began to hit southern England on Wednesday afternoon as the amber alert came into force with the Met Office saying further warnings are likely to be issued as the week goes on.
Police in Devon and Cornwall have urged drivers to wait until the snow on Wednesday afternoon passes to carry out their journeys unless they are absolutely necessary.
More bad weather is expected this week (stock image)(Image: Getty Images)
The surrounding area in the south of England is also under a yellow weather warning until midnight tonight.
The Met Office said: “Outbreaks of sleet and snow are likely to push in from the southwest during Wednesday, affecting some places especially during the afternoon and evening. Many places will probably see relatively little or no snow settling, (especially on tarmac), but there could be 1-2 cm locally. Upland areas could see more, perhaps 5-10 cm on Dartmoor and Exmoor.”
The regions affected include:
- Southwest England; Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole; Cornwall; Devon; Dorset; Plymouth; Somerset; Torbay; Wiltshire
- London and southeast England: Bracknell Forest; Brighton and Hove; East Sussex; Greater London; Hampshire; Isle of Wight; Kent; Medway; Portsmouth; Reading; Southampton; Surrey; West Berkshire; West Sussex; Windsor and Maidenhead; Wokingham
Overnight, temperatures are set to drop sharply, with lows of minus 14C possible in Scotland and northern England on Wednesday and sub-zero temperatures expected across the country.
Minimum temperatures of -16C could be reached on Thursday night, the Met Office said.
A temperature of -16C would be the lowest recorded in January in the UK for 15 years, since -22.3C was logged in Altnaharra in the Highlands on January 8 2010, according to Met Office data.
There are also yellow weather warnings in place in parts of England, Northern Ireland and Scotland(Image: PA)
Elsewhere in the UK, there is a yellow snow and ice warning for counties Antrim, Fermanagh, Londonderry and Tyrone in Northern Ireland, as well as a yellow snow and ice warning for northern Scotland including Highland areas, the Grampians and Orkney and Shetland.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has extended its cold weather health alert for all of England until Sunday. A rise in deaths is likely, the agency said.
Dr Agostinho Sousa, head of extreme events and health protection at the UKHSA, said: “This weather can have a serious impact on the health of some people, including those aged 65 and over and those with pre-existing health conditions, and it is therefore vital that we continue to check in on friends, family and neighbours that are most vulnerable.
“These people could be more at risk of heart attacks, stroke and chest infections as a result of cold temperatures.”
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