Wrap up... Arctic blast hits today
BRITAIN will shiver through the coldest day of the year today with snow and ice set to freeze swathes of northern England and Scotland.
It will feel as cold as -4C (25F) in these areas as a front of Arctic air works its way down the country, bringing the threat of sleet and snow in the Midlands and southern England later in the week.
Met Office forecaster Craig Snell said the air was ‘coming pretty much straight from the Arctic, which is especially cold at this time of year’. He added: ‘I would imagine you will see some sleet or snow in the south of England, even if it doesn’t cause any great disruption.
‘But we are keeping a close eye on it.’
Yellow weather warnings are in place from today to late tomorrow across northern Scotland, north-east England and parts of Yorkshire, the Humber and Lincolnshire.
The Met Office has already warned of the risk of travel disruption in areas affected by snow with roads and railways expected to be icy.
High ground areas of northern Scotland can expect the most snowfall, possibly reaching depths four inches. Tempera tures are likely to stay far below average for early spring for much of the week.
The risk of snow further south into England will grow from It might only start feeling milder in southern England from Friday but areas further north could stay chilly until into next week.
The UK Health Security Agency has urged people to look out for those most at risk from cold weather such as those with medical conditions or aged over 65.
Provisional Met Office figures also show that England had its driest February in 30 years.
The United Kingdom as a whole had less than half the monthly average rainfall, at 45 per cent, with 43.4mm (1.7in) falling..
‘Especially cold at this time of year’