FREEZING RAIN AND BLACK ICE AS THE BEAST BITES
A snow- covered Britain is bracing for a deadly cocktail of black ice, blizzards and rare freezing rain today.
Forecasters and transport bosses warned the chaos seen over the last few days is set to worsen as storm emma sweeps in to join the Beast from the east.
The Met office issued its first red weather alert in five years yesterday – warning that snow and high winds could cause deaths and widespread damage.
The bitterly cold spell claimed its fifth life yesterday when a man died after falling into an icy lake in a London park. Four people died earlier this week in road accidents.
Around 4,000 schools were closed and hospitals cancelled hundreds of operations as the extreme weather continued to cause misery for millions.
Thousands of trains were cancelled or delayed and hundreds of flights were grounded. on the roads, police closed large sections of major routes after they were left impassable by heavy snowfall.
Motoring groups received tens of thousands of callouts in just a few hours, with the RAC reporting its busiest day in ten years.
The treacherous conditions even caused a gritting lorry to slide into a ditch on the A68 in county durham.
But forecasters warned that some of the worst weather was still to come, with up to 16in (41cm) of snow expected in some areas.
storm emma is predicted to bring more snow and gusts of up to 55mph in the south of the country from lunchtime today.
The extreme wind chill means it could feel as cold as -15c (5F). Yesterday the Met office issued a red snow warning – its highest level of weather alert – for Glasgow, edinburgh and surrounding areas.
It warned householders to ‘take action now’ to stay safe and said ‘widespread damage, travel and power disruption and risk to life is likely’. ‘roads will become blocked by deep snow, with many stranded vehicles and passengers,’ it said.
‘Long delays and cancellations on bus, rail and air travel are expected. some communities could become cut off for several days. [There will be] long interruptions to power supplies and other services.’
scotrail, which cancelled trains in the red alert area, yesterday told passengers to ‘head for home now’. road, rail and air bosses across Britain said there would be major disruption until at least saturday.
Along with strong winds and snow hitting the country today, forecasters warned of freezing rain, a rare phenomenon which will create black ice on roads in large parts of southern Britain from 2pm – causing chaos for the evening rush hour.
Freezing rain starts out as snow, ice or hail but melts as it passes through a warm band of air as it falls.
The droplets become ‘supercooled’ and then freeze again the moment they hit the ground.
The Met office described it as ‘relatively rare in the UK’ and warned it ‘can be a very hazardous phenomena affecting roads and other infrastructure causing travel disruption’.
It said the rain could fall in parts of the south west from noon today until 8am tomorrow, being most likely to hit devon and somerset.
An amber warning for ‘potential risk to life and property’ is currently in place for much of the north of england until 6pm today.
Another warning covering London, the east Midlands and the east of england is in force until 10am. And a yellow weather warning of snow covering vast swathes of the UK has been extended until 9am on saturday. Forecasters said London could see 3.5in ( 9cm) of snow before Friday, newcastle 4.5in (11cm), Birmingham 6in (15cm), and Plymouth 5in (13cm).
A man thought to be in his 60s died in hospital yesterday after he fell through ice on a lake in welling, south London, reportedly while trying to save his dog.
NHS england have warned medical staff across the country to ‘be ready for continued pressure as a result of this cold snap’.
Police forces urged motorists to avoid driving unless absolutely necessary after being called to jackknifed lorries and cars getting stuck in snow. It came as pedestrians and drivers vented their anger at local councils for not gritting ‘ death trap’ roads, with the most complaints seen in London and the north east.
‘Power disruption and risk to life is likely’ A SKI centre was forced to close yesterday – because of snow. Chatham Ski and Snowboard Centre in Gillingham, Kent, told customers keen to try out the slopes that the car park was inaccessible and staff were struggling to get to work.