UK weather: Icy blizzards to hit parts of Britain just days after last big freeze

By
Jane Bunce

Last updated at 4:54 PM on 18th February 2012

After a relatively mild week, winter is back with a vengeance this weekend as parts of the UK could again by hit by blizzards.

Some areas reached zero degrees on Saturday morning and on Sunday people in the north could wake up to temperatures as low as minus two.

The Met Office has issued a severe weather warning, with extreme conditions expected to move in from around 9am Saturday until midnight, although parts of Scotland saw snow showers earlier.

Fontmell Down in Dorset during the last cold snap. Parts of the UK may have to cope with another freeze this weekend

Fontmell Down in Dorset during the last cold snap. Parts of the UK may have to cope with another freeze this weekend

Snow warnings are in place for Orkney and Shetland, the Highlands, Grampian, Strathclyde, Tayside, Fife and central Scotland. Up to six inches of snow could fall in some places, while the north and west coasts of Scotland are also expected to be buffeted by high winds.

England’s north west and north east in particular is at risk of severe cold weather that could put vulnerable people’s health at risk and disrupt transport and services, the Met Office says.

Strathclyde, south-west Scotland, the Lothians and Borders, Wales, Northern Ireland and the North West have also been warned of ice for today and tomorrow.

Greenwich was blanketed by snow last week. Now another blizzard alert is in force, with forecasts of high winds

Greenwich was blanketed by snow last week. Now another blizzard alert is in force, with forecasts of high winds

MET OFFICE THREE DAY UK FORECAST

Saturday:

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The north will become colder as the day
continues, with a mixture of rain, sleet and snow. In Scotland, up to six inches
of snow could fall on higher ground, while parts of the north – including Cumbria
and Lancashire in England – also have an ice warning.

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Sunday: Temperatures will fall below freezing overnight, but will improve as the day continues with an average three degrees in the north and seven degrees in the south. Most of the country
will also enjoy brighter conditions and long sunny spells, but snow, rain and sleet will continue
in the UK’s far north west.

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Monday: Most parts of England and Wales should have clear skies,
with widespread frost in the morning developing into sunny spells.

Although the south will be largely spared the extreme conditions, the Met Office is still warning that icy patches may develop.

Stephen Davenport, a senior meteorologist with MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said: ‘A blizzard is snow with winds of 25mph or more, and we are looking at 30mph-35mph in exposed areas and 50mph-60mph gusts. These will mainly affect Caithness and Sutherland and eastern Aberdeenshire.

‘The snow will struggle to get through to Glasgow but there will be some showers.

‘There will be a few centimetres in places further north at the Moray Firth and down the coast along western Galloway.

‘With the cold front coming south during Saturday, wet surfaces will turn cold and then into ice. That will begin to die off on Sunday morning, with milder conditions moving in.’

The Met Office website said northern
and western coastal fringes would see between 2in (5cm) and 4in (10cm)
of snow, with 6in (15cm) likely over higher ground.

It
said: ‘Snow showers will become frequent and heavy at times over much
of northern and north west Scotland, including the Grampians, during
Saturday.

Regents Park in London was a winter wonderland last week, and the Met office says up to six inches could fall this weekend

Regents Park in London was a winter wonderland last week, and the Met office says up to six inches could fall this weekend

‘In addition, gale-force winds will result in temporary blizzard conditions and drifting over higher ground. The public should be aware that this is likely to cause disruption.’

Police have asked motorists to be aware of the conditions and to check routes before setting off.

But the weather man does have good news for next week, promising a spell of mild – although unsettled – weather.

Martin Young, Chief Forecaster at the Met Office, said: ‘This weekend’s cold snap will be short-lived, quickly giving way to much milder conditions again next week.

‘Temperatures next week are expected to get into double figures in many areas as we see a returned to unsettled conditions with strong winds and heavy rain in places.”

Here’s what other readers have said. Why not add your thoughts,
or debate this issue live on our message boards.

The comments below have been moderated in advance.

Some areas reached zero degrees on Saturday morning and on Sunday people in the north could wake up to temperatures as low as minus two.
———————————————————————————————————————————————————
Who would have thought it? 0 degrees in winter!! What stunning journalism DM!!! What an expose!!

If it’s any comfort its 21 deg c here in sunny Mazarron.

When I was a kid it got cold once a year and was known as Winter. Why does Winter become news so frequently now?

Its currently 9 degrees and sunny outside my front door. A bit of a breeze but nothing to write home about.

Cold weather up North for a change( where it belongs).

By midweek the temperatures could be up to 16 degrees in the south…..

Here we go again
Belive it when we see it !!!!

Desperate for news? Must be as February is still winter and always has been in which you expect these conditions. Not that it is here in Leicester where the temperature this morning was 7.8 degrees and it is raining , not a smidgen of snow.
It is all hype desperate for bad weather to make more news.

At the start of his week you said we’d have this weather in the north west from Friday. It’s now Saturday lunchtime and it’s a beautiful sunny day. Which weekend and which north west did you really mean?

When Scotland becomes independent will we still have to suffer weather reports about what is happening in northern Scotland, which make it sound like the UK proper is about to suffer an ice age?

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