Icy Storm Emma joins forces with the Beast
Met Office issues its first red warning in five years as weather forecasters declare the worst is yet to come
The country has been warned to expect another day of snow chaos as two weather systems – the Beast from the East and Storm Emma – collided bringing blizzards, treacherous freezing rain and gale force winds. Following the Met Office’s first red weather alert in five years yesterday, it warned today could become England’s coldest March day on record, with temperatures set to fall below the 26F (-3.3C) recorded in Cumbria in 1965.
THE freezing Arctic weather nicknamed the “Beast from the East” will collide with Storm Emma today, bringing blizzards, treacherous freezing rain and gale-force winds to a huge swathe of Britain.
After the Met Office issued its first red warning in five years because snowfall posed a serious threat to life, forecasters declared the worst was yet to come as southern England, Wales and parts of the East Midlands prepared for the two storms to merge.
Storm Emma, which wreaked havoc in Spain and Portugal before moving up over the Atlantic, is expected to dump up to 19in (50cm) of snow, causing widespread disruption to public transport and road networks.
The storm, a band of low pressure, will mix this afternoon with freezing temperatures and strong winds brought here by the Beast from the East.
The Met Office said a new UK record may be set for the coldest daytime temperature in March, beating the 23F (-4.6C) recorded in Casey, Scotland, on March 2 2001. It may also be the coldest March day in England. The current record is 26F (-3.3C), recorded at Spadeadam, Cumbria, on March 2 1965.
In Welling, south-east London, a man thought to be in his 60s died after he was plucked from a frozen lake reportedly trying to save his stranded dog.
The Air Ambulance attended and the man was recovered from the water, but later died at a south London hospital.
Today, there will be a chance of wide-spread freezing rain and black ice, adding to the already dangerous driving conditions that are believed to have claimed four motorists’ lives. The prolonged icy blast has led police forces across Britain to advise motorists to avoid driving unless it is absolutely necessary. Public Health England urged people to ensure they have enough food and medicine at home, and to plan ahead as temperatures continued to fall. Meanwhile, NHS England announced that the cold snap could put the health service under renewed pressure due to the “perfect storm” of bad weather, flu and norovirus.
The colliding storms are expected to cause up to 8in (20cm) of snowfall in the South West, with up to 19in on Exmoor and Dartmoor.
The Met Office said deep snow and drifting could block roads, strand motorists, and even cause power cuts across the South West and South Wales.
The Met Office issued a red warning for the central belt of Scotland as heavy snow and powerful winds posed a risk to human life. The alert, due to end at 10am today, came as rail passengers were advised to avoid travelling to or from Scotland, and many airlines cancelled flights to airports in Glasgow and Edinburgh. Hundreds of schools in the region were also closed.
The last such red warning for snow was given in January 2013 when a storm swept across South Wales. Since the traffic-light colour system of warnings was introduced in 2011, a total of nine red warnings – where you should take action to keep yourself and others safe – have been issued, usually when rain causes extreme flooding, or winds bring down power lines.
In the next few days commuters, particularly those travelling in the East and South West, are expected to experience disruption to both rail and road networks.
The lowest temperature recorded over the past 36 hours was 12.2F (-11C) in Farnborough in Hampshire.
In an odd twist, snowfall led to the open air Chatham Ski and Snowboard Centre in Kent closing “due to the weather conditions”.