Hundreds of schools have been closed and roads blocked or treacherous as the UK experiences its first significant winter blast, with blizzards, ice and freezing temperatures affecting large parts of the country. The Met Office has issued eight separate yellow snow and ice warnings for Thursday, covering Devon, Cornwall, Kent, the east coast, East Anglia, north-east England, south-west and north-west Wales, Northern Ireland and northern Scotland.
An amber weather alert is in place for the North York Moors and Yorkshire Wolds from 3am to 9pm, warning of occasional blizzards and significant snowfalls of up to 25cm on hills, likely to cause substantial disruption. The worst-hit region in Scotland is Aberdeenshire, where more than 90 schools did not open. In Wales, 36 schools were closed in Pembrokeshire, 14 in Carmarthenshire and seven in Ceredigion.
Road closures include the A1 northbound between Morpeth and Alnwick in Northumberland, the A171, and the A169 Pickering to Whitby. Drivers in North Yorkshire are advised to make only necessary journeys, while Pembrokeshire County Council warned of “extremely hazardous conditions on most roads”. The AA advises drivers to slow down and leave plenty of space, as stopping distances can increase tenfold on icy surfaces.
The Met Office reported the coldest night of the winter so far in Northern Ireland, Wales and England, with temperatures dropping to -6.6C at RAF Benson in Oxfordshire, -6.4C in Sennybridge, Powys, and -2.8C at Altnahinch Filters in County Antrim. Thursday night could see lows of -10C in rural Scotland. “Thundersnow” was observed in Aberdeenshire and off the north-east coast on Wednesday, with further risk on Thursday.
The UK Health Security Agency has an amber cold health alert in force across northern England until Saturday morning. Temperatures are expected to rise closer to seasonal averages over the weekend, with wetter and windier weather arriving, but not as mild as earlier this month. Bookmaker William Hill has shortened odds on a White Christmas, offering 6/5 in Aberdeen, 7/4 in Newcastle and 7/1 in London.
