The UK is set to experience temperatures colder than parts of the Arctic this week as a freezing weather system, dubbed the 'beast from the East,' brings widespread snow and ice. The Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings for Monday through Thursday, with some areas potentially seeing over 20cm of snow by Wednesday evening.
Met Office meteorologist Charlie Powell stated: 'The UK is on track for some really cold weather this week. It's not going to be record-breaking, but it'll be pretty exceptional - winds are going to make it feel minus 10C to minus 15C during the day.' The lowest overnight temperature was recorded in Benson, Oxfordshire, at -10C.
Travel disruption has been severe, with multiple roads closed due to heavy snowfall. In Yorkshire, the A61 was shut between Harrogate and Skipton, while the A66 in Durham was closed between the A1M and A685. The A1 in Durham was also closed after a lorry jack-knifed, and in Cambridgeshire, the A1 was shut due to severe weather. Norfolk police reported blockages on the A11 and A143 due to stuck vehicles.
London commuters faced severe delays on several Tube lines, including the Central, Circle, District, and Piccadilly lines, with part suspensions and signal failures. TfL Rail and London Overground also experienced minor delays. The Met Office has extended some warnings, with an amber warning for snow covering Scotland and north-east England until 6pm, and another for east Midlands, east England, and south-east England until 10am. A yellow warning for snow covers much of the country until just before midnight.
