Record brrreaker

This winter could be our coldest

Bridge fridge ... at Killhope in Co Durham

Whiteouts... near Killhope Law, top, in Carnwath, Scotland, and near Hawes, above

THIS might become the cold- est winter on record – despite 2020 being the hottest year.

In spite of a rise in global warming last year, bookies yesterday slashed odds on the UK experiencing its biggest chill amid warnings of havoc caused by a fresh Beast from the East this month.

Swathes of the country awoke to snow, with flurries over London for a second day, while the temperatures in Northumberland plunged to - 9C.

Yet the freeze failed to stop Samantha Shaw from baring her knees on a walk with her mother Amanda, in Carnwath, South Lanarkshire, left.

Forecasters last night warned of further snow and ice chaos as temperatures failed to rise above freezing throughout the day. They said that a sudden stratospheric warming, or SSW, which began on Tuesday, might trigger weather changes that would lead to a severe cold snap this month.

Dr Richard Hall, an expert in SSWs from the University of Bristol, said it “tips the odds” in favour of another blast of snow and sub- zero temperatures from Siberia.

Wintry conditions were forecast overnight with experts predicting most of the UK would wake to snow with the day worsening later. Weather maps indicated a 500- mile stretch of the country could expect falls.

The charts also tipped snow to fall on Wales tomorrow, ably parts of the South- east before dusk, but amounts should be small.”

The dip in temperatures comes as data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service showed that globally 2020 tied with 2016 as the warmest year yet, marking the end of the hottest decade on record, while CO2 concentrations continue to rise.

The study added that Europe saw its hottest year – 0.4C more than previous recordholder 2019. The rises came despite the effects of the pandemic which cut around seven per cent of fossil CO2 emissions.

The climate service’s director Carlo Buontempo said: “The last decade was the warmest on record... yet another reminder of the urgency of ambitious emissions reductions to prevent adverse climate impacts.”

Vincent- Henri Peuch, of the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, said: “Until the net global emissions reduce to zero, CO2 will continue to accumulate in the atmosphere and drive further climate change.”

Winter’s trail... on Cumbria/ Northumberland border extending up the west of Britain to northern Scotland.

Netweather’s Terry Scholey said: “In particular, hilly parts of the Midlands and Wales could wake to a couple of centimetres of snow on Friday morning, with most parts getting a dusting.

“The sleet and snow continue to march south through the day, to affect all but prob