Frozen Britain to hit -12C

By Victoria Ward

 

 

 

Up to four inches is forecast in some areas, especially those between Yorkshire to the south coast, which experts said would be followed by a severe frost and dangerously icy conditions.

 

Fleets of salt spreaders and gritters were on standby last night as motorists were warned that the roads could prove treacherous tonight and the early hours of tomorrow morning.

 

Temperatures are expected to plunge to 10F (-12C) in the early hours, but feeling more like 5F (-15C) due to the wind.

 

 

The majority of England will remain at freezing point or lower all day as snow showers move in from the Atlantic.

 

Dan Williams, a Met Office forecaster, said the whole of England and Wales was at risk of snow between noon and midnight. “Bands of rain will push in from the west, gradually turning into sleet and snow,” he said. “There will be maximum temperatures of 3C in places. In large parts of England, particularly the East Midlands, Yorkshire, East Anglia and the South East, we could see up to 4 inches (10cm) of snow.”

 

Mr Williams warned that temperatures would then drop quickly overnight, meaning that the snow will have turned to ice by tomorrow .

 

The maximum temperature will be a chilly 1C on Sunday, accompanied by lingering patches of fog and cloud in some places with brighter spells in others.

 

The snow and ice is expected to cause travel problems and the Met Office warned motorists to take particular care on the roads.

 

The Department for Transport insisted that it was better prepared than ever for the severe weather, with a stock of more than 2.4million tons of salt, a 200 per cent increase on this time last year.

 

The Highways Agency currently holds over 260,000 tons of salt, more than double that of last year, and has a fleet of 437 state-of-the-art salt spreaders as well as more than 500 winter service vehicles on standby to treat motorways and other key routes.

 

David Cameron is being briefed on the impact of the cold snap, which experts fear could claim up to 2,000 lives, according to Department of Health’s chief medical officer, Professor Dame Sally Davies.

 

The Local Government Association said an army of council staff and volunteers would make sure vulnerable people were cared for, and residents were encouraged to call in on elderly neighbours and help clear their own roads.

 

Next week will bring wetter and slightly milder conditions in the west while the sub zero temperatures continue in the east.

 

The death toll attributed to the Arctic weather that has engulfed eastern and central Europe rose to at least 220 as temperatures fell to as low as -36F (-38C).

 

In Ukraine, about 100 people — 75 per cent of them homeless — have now died despite efforts to provide emergency shelters. Fresh snow falls blanketed much of the Balkans, hampering efforts in Serbia to reach about 11,000 people cut off for days.