Forecasters say it could be a cold winter ahead
MANY people will have woken up to the first widespread frost of the season with temperatures in some places dipping below zero on Monday morning.
It has been revealed that Britain could be set for the worst winter for five years as temperatures could be set to plummet to minus 11 in parts of the UK.
Freezing air from the North Pole could send the thermometer plummeting and it is feared the cold snap will bring widespread snow and ice causing travel chaos.
Forecasters say parts of the north could have snow on the hills within days, reports the Mirror.
But Arctic winds later this year are expected to deliver Britain’s coldest winter since the bitter 2012-13 freeze.
December and January are both forecast to be colder than normal, with all areas of the UK, including the south, being affected.
Five years ago temperatures plunged as low as -14C in the same two months.
Snow and ice caused mayhem on roads and railways and deaths due to cold weather soared to around 300-a-day.
Since then the UK has experienced a series of mild winters but that seems certain to change.
Todd Crawford, chief meteorologist at The Weather Company, said: “We expect the coldest winter in the UK since 2012-13.
“We expect extended spells with a ridge of pressure in the North Atlantic, especially in early winter.
“This forces the jet stream up to the Arctic and back down into Europe, releasing Arctic high pressure from near the Pole directly into northern Europe, with colder-than-normal temperatures.”
AccuWeather senior meteor- ologist Alan Reppert said: “Snow and ice will be a much higher threat this winter, and could affect London.
“There is a higher-than-normal potential for temperatures below -10C further north, and also cold temperatures further south.”
The first chill will be felt this week with the possibility of snow over high ground.
But mid-November will bring a short break from the cold before the expected big freeze.
Helen Roberts, a Met Office forecaster, said it will feel chilly today and tomorrow, particularly in Scotland and northern England, with temperatures reaching a maximum of 12C.
But by the middle of the week temperatures will start rising towards the mid-teens.
Much of the north east coast of the UK was hit by strong winds yesterday, creating stormy seas.
Huge waves battered the harbour wall at Seaham in County Durham, dwarfing the town’s black and white lighthouse.
In parts of Central Europe, winds reached 112mph and left two people dead in the Czech Republic after they were hit by falling trees.
Thousands were left without power when lines came crashing down and many rail routes in Germany were closed for the day as a safety measure.