TAKE CARE DON’T BE A VICTIM OF FREEZING WEATHER
PARTS of Britain face another deluge of snow today, sparking further warnings for dangerous and disruptive conditions.
Freezing temperatures, icy roads and heavy wintry showers threaten more mayhem after Sunday’s “snow bomb”.
Government forecasters issued fresh snow and ice warnings in Scotland and eastern England last night, while extending a health warning until Thursday.
Elderly and vulnerable people were urged to wrap up against the cold and take care not to fall on frozen pavements.
Despite a brief lift in temperatures tomorrow, Arctic winds will put the nation back on ice by the weekend, experts say.
Severe weather continued to cause misery yesterday, forcing schools to close and leaving thousands of homes without power.
Drivers braved treacherous conditions on major roads and motorways while railway and air passengers faced delays and cancellations.
Temperatures were forecast to hit -15C (5F) in exposed northerly spots last night, with between freezing and -10C expected more widely.
The Met Office has issued a severe weather warning for snow and ice in Scotland and down the east coast of England this morning. A separate alert for ice is in force across southern Britain.
Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge warned thermometers would nosedive into minus double figures overnight, turning fallen snow into lethal rafts of ice.
He said: “Temperatures were expected to fall very low on Monday night, especially where we have lying snow and this snow and slush is likely to freeze, bringing potentially hazardous conditions for both motorists and pedestrians on Tuesday morning.
“A low-pressure system named Storm Ana passing over France will pull cold air into the UK through Tuesday and bring wintry showers along the east coast.
“Showers will continue to fall as snow into Wednesday, although it will be slightly milder.
“However it will be unsettled with strong winds and this will make it feel colder. By the end of the week we are back into a polar airflow, bringing colder conditions and a further risk of wintry showers.” Heavy snow crippled the country over the weekend, grounding flights, cutting off power and causing mayhem on the roads.
Breakdown cover firm Green Flag said it had received more than three calls every minute, over double the usual number for a Monday at this time of year.