Brrrace yourself... we’re going sub-zero
SWATHES of the country were expected to wake up to snow this morning – as milder temperatures plunged below zero.
Despite some areas enjoying a white Christmas, other regions were relatively warm over the festive break, with Cornwall reaching 13C (55F).
However heavy rain was predicted to fall overnight, changing to snow across much of Wales, the South and the Midlands. Up to four inches was forecast on higher ground.
That will lead to a cold night with rural northern areas waking up to sunshine and temperatures as low as -5C (23F), while the South will see lows of -3C (27F). Some areas of Scotland, where snow has already settled, will see temperatures fall overnight to -8C (18F).
Heading into the weekend, up to two-and-a-half inches of rain are expected to fall on Friday night and Saturday, raising fears of flooding in the West Country. Marco Petagna, from the Met office, said yesterday: ‘ on Wednesday in the South it will be a bright start, but the rain is pushing into the south-west.
‘Most of it will be rain but overnight and into the morning that will fall as snow, in Wales first, and then in the Midlands and the south of England.
‘on high ground we could see four inches – in Wales, the Cotswolds and the Chilterns.’
Monday was officially a white Christmas after Cumbria and Lanarkshire received a dusting late in the evening.
Christmas used to be declared ‘white’ if a single flake of snow was observed on the roof of the London Weather Centre.
But the Met office has now broadened its definition to cover other parts of the country – although the snow still has to be recorded by a professional.
official warnings for snow and rain in England and Wales lasts until 11am today. The wind is also expected to pick up into the weekend, with gusts of up to 50mph predicted on the coast on Saturday morning.