Snow falls as Britain is plunged into winter
TEMPERATURES plummeted to well below zero yesterday as Britain experienced the coldest night of winter so far.
Most of the country will wake up to a frosty morning once again as flurries of snow and northern Arctic winds chill the nation.
Parts of London, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire saw a dusting of the white stuff, while up to an inch and a half fell in the North-east of England yesterday.
Heavy blizzards hit Gateshead which saw a thick layer of snow begin to settle.
The mercury dropped sharply overnight as rural areas of England saw lows of -6C (21F) and in the Scottish Highlands the mercury plummeted to -12C, making it the coldest night of the year.
Escape
The Met Office has issued ice warnings for most of England, Wales and Northern Ireland today.
Roads are likely to be affected by treacherous icy conditions, with longer journey times expected on buses and trains.
Met Office forecaster Steven Keates explained that clear skies and dry conditions created the perfect recipe for the freezing conditions.
Mr Keates said: “Temperatures fell sharply after sunset and will be widely below freezing. However the west of the country and Cornwall will escape a frost.”
He forecast “a very cold start to the morning which will be compensated by some sunshine across eastern areas and the far north of Scotland. Further to the west there will be some outbreaks of rain.”
The wintry conditions look set to worsen dramatically next week with the feared return of the Beast from the East which could hit by Wednesday.