Motorists and commuters have been warned they face difficult travelling conditions and the risk of disruption to transport with between 3cm and 6cm of snow expected to fall - in some areas up to 10cm - overnight into Thursday morning.
Amber - be prepared - warnings, have been issued by the Met Office and are in force across Orkney & Shetland, Dumfries, Galloway, Lothian and Borders with temperatures expected to get as low as minus 4C or 5C.
Yellow warnings for outbreaks of rain and sleet turning to snow have also been issued across vast swathes of Scotland - and England, including the North West, North East, Yorkshire and Humber, East Midlands, as well as London and the South East.
The change - which follows an exceptionally mild December - comes as an Arctic blast moves across the UK.
Sky's weather producer Christopher England said: "There will be outbreaks of rain, sleet and hill snow spreading across all except northern Scotland this evening and tonight will turn increasingly to snow at low levels in the north, especially over parts of south-east Scotland.
"Around 5cm of snow is possible at low levels there, while higher routes across northern England and southern Scotland may see up to 10cm in places.
"With temperatures dipping below 0C, there'll be the risk of icy stretches too."
The expected dip in mercury has also prompted health chiefs to urge older residents to enure they have the flu jab and keep their homes warm.
Public Health England's Dr Angie Bone said: "It's so important to remember that cold does kill, even in places where the temperatures aren't at their lowest.
"Most of our advice at PHE on keeping warm in cold weather may seem like common sense but people should think about how the cold weather can affect them."
Winter deaths rose by 151% last year, with an estimated 43,900 excess deaths in England and Wales between December 2014 and March 2015, official figures showed.
A less-than-effective flu jab and cold weather were said to be major factors.
No comments:
Post a Comment