After a super SUN-day,
Crowds pack beaches... but icy weather returns today
IF, like these Dorset daytrippers, you made the most of the sunshine yesterday, then well done – because it’s about to get very chilly.
Crowds queued to get on to the beach at the popular Durdle Door beauty spot in Lulworth Cove, in scenes repeated in many areas.
From today, however, a blast of Arctic weather is to replace the warm conditions of the past week with snow showers and bitterly cold temperatures which is likely to last all week.
Forecasters predicted a weather system moving down from the north would bring snow and sleet to parts of northern England by this morning. A Met Office weather warning is in place for northern Scotland where up to six inches of snow could fall on high ground and two inches at low levels. Much
‘On the cold side through the week’
of the country can expect a ten-point drop in temperatures from yesterday to today. The maximum today is expected to be 6C or 7C (43-45F) in many regions compared to around 16C (61F) yesterday.
The abrupt change will be a shock after recent summer-type conditions, but snow in England and Wales is not expected to cause serious disruption or remain for long due to above freezing daytime temperatures.
The Arctic weather system was forecast to move down from Scotland into England last night, bringing a ‘risk of snow showers’ for the next 48 hours. Met Office forecaster Matthew Box said northern England and Wales could see some snow, although the showers would blow through on strong northerly winds.
‘It will feel quite cold in the breezy conditions and any snow showers that do fall will move through relatively quickly,’ he said.
‘I don’t think there will be any particular alarm for a build-up of snow and if it does hang around it will be on high ground such as the peaks in the Pennines. If snow does fall at lower levels it won’t last long.’
A severe frost was expected across northern England last night, with temperatures plunging to -6C (21F) in the coldest areas, he said.
Similar conditions will continue tomorrow with most of the UK seeing sub-zero conditions overnight and a widespread frost. Many parts of the country will see temperatures drop to -2C or -3C (28F or 27F) and in central Scotland lows could reach -9C (16F), he said.
As well as northern Scotland, snow showers are most likely to affect north-west England and Wales early on Tuesday.
‘It’s staying on the cold side throughout the week. We see an improvement on Wednesday and Thursday, when there will be some rain, and then northerly winds return to bring more cold weather on Friday.’ Although temperatures will be well below the average for the time of year the lows will not reach the English record for April of -15C (5F) set in Cumbria in 1917.
A base jumper was airlifted to hospital yesterday after their parachute failed to open when they jumped off Beachy Head. Coastguard and ambulance crews were both involved in the rescue at the 530ft cliff in East Sussex.
Base jumping is an extreme sport where individuals parachute from fixed objects such as tall buildings or cliffs. A paramedic was winched down to rescue the base jumper at the bottom of the cliff before they were flown to Brighton hospital.
A coastguard spokesman said three Coastguard rescue teams, an RNLI lifeboat, a search and rescue helicopter and the South East Coast Ambulance Service were involved in the rescue.
In a statement Eastbourne RNLI
said: ‘The casualty was eventually recovered into the Coastguard helicopter and flown to hospital.’
It added that more base jumpers were taken off the beach by lifeboat ‘ and returned safely to Birling Gap where they were met by local coastguards’.
Back in Dorset yesterday two base jumpers were seen jumping from Durdle Door, opening their parachutes before plunging into the sea 200ft below.
Last May three people were seriously hurt at the Jurassic coast beach attempting to jump off the same cliff but without a parachute.
The dangerous activity, known as ‘ tombstoning’, involves a person leaping or diving from a significant height into water.