Cold snap may last a fortnight, says Met Office
LARGE parts of the country are braced for snow and ice as forecasters warned the cold snap could last for a fortnight.
The Met Office said temperatures in parts of the UK will not top mid-single figures during the day until Thursday.
Up to 11in of snow could fall in isolated spots across Scotland while other areas could see up to 8in of snow fall.
This week could see the coldest day of the year so far with temperatures in some areas falling as low as -10C (14F) or -15C. A yellow weather warning has been issued for London, the Thames Valley, East Anglia, parts of the Midlands and South Wales until 10am today.
An identical one will be in place in Northern Ireland at the same time while a warning for snow and ice was in place in much of Scotland and the North East.
Even colder overnight conditions are set to affect cities later in the week, with the mercury plunging to -4C in London and -6C in Birmingham and Belfast.
Conditions are expected to be even colder in the north of Scotland.
Grahame Madge, of the Met Office, said: “Temperatures will be much, much colder than we would expect at this time of year.”
National Grid has told an emergency coal power station to start warming up as the country braces the cold snap.
The West Burton A plant near Retford, Notts, will be placed on standby to meet demand if energy use surges as temperatures drop.