The Met Office has escalated its alerts, pinpointing 41 specific areas across the United Kingdom for severe weather warnings as the nation braces for its coldest night this winter, with temperatures expected to plummet to a bone-chilling minus 12 degrees Celsius.
Widespread Disruption and Icy Hazards
Following widespread snowfall, the national forecaster is warning of significant icy conditions due to the sustained sub-zero temperatures. A mix of rain, sleet, wet snow, and small hail has left many surfaces wet, and as these freeze overnight, widespread icy patches are expected to form. These hazardous conditions are likely to persist through Thursday night and into Friday morning, November 21, which is predicted to be the final day of this severe cold snap.
The Met Office has advised the public to 'keep yourself and your family safe when it is icy'. Roads and pavements will be particularly slippery, prompting officials to urge people to prepare before leaving home and to allow extra time for all journeys, whether on foot, by bicycle, or by car.
Regional Snowfall and Record Lows
Different regions are facing distinct challenges. In the North East of England, wintry showers are forecast to continue feeding inland from the North Sea, bringing a chance of further snowfall. The forecaster predicts an additional 3cm of snow could hit areas including Newcastle Upon Tyne.
The most severe conditions are expected in Scotland, where snow is predicted to continue into the early hours of Friday and could lead to accumulations of up to 5cm in some places. The weather warning for Scotland remains in place until 11am on Friday, with the chilling possibility of temperatures falling to as low as minus 12C.
Met Office forecaster Simon Partridge explained the reason for the extreme cold: “It does look like we will have the coldest night of this winter so far, widely areas are below freezing. The main reason for that is we’ve got a little ridge of high pressure moving across the UK overnight tonight and basically the main difference between that and previous nights is the winds are a lot lighter.” He added that Friday signals the end of the severe cold, with conditions returning to average for the weekend.
List of Affected Local Authorities
The yellow weather warnings cover a vast swathe of the country. The affected regions and local authorities are:
- Grampian: Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Moray
- Highlands & Eilean Siar: Highland
- Orkney & Shetland: Orkney Islands, Shetland Islands
- North East England: Darlington, Durham, Gateshead, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Newcastle upon Tyne, North Tyneside, Northumberland, Redcar and Cleveland, South Tyneside, Stockton-on-Tees, Sunderland
- SW Scotland, Lothian Borders: East Lothian, Scottish Borders
- Yorkshire & Humber: East Riding of Yorkshire, Kingston upon Hull, North Yorkshire, York, North East Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire
- East Midlands: Lincolnshire
- East of England: Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk
- London & South East England: East Sussex, Kent
- Wales: Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Conwy, Gwynedd, Isle of Anglesey, Pembrokeshire
This new wave of warnings comes after a period of disruption that has already seen schools across the nation forced to close, roads shut, and many households left without power.
