Clear skies to send temperatures plummeting and increase risk of ice in many regions

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Britain is bracing itself for more wintry conditions after snow and ice warnings were issued for many parts of the country. Polar air from beyond Greenland and Iceland has caused temperatures to plummet, with the mercury dipping below zero in many regions.

The Met Office issued a second yellow “be prepared” warning for ice in the east Midlands, London and south-east England, Wales, and the west Midlands. It said clearing skies in the west in the early hours of Friday would cause a rapid fall in temperature, with ice forming on untreated surfaces.

“A few showers of rain, sleet and hill snow will follow, possibly giving a slight covering of snow over higher ground,” the Met Office said.

Met Office (@metoffice) We're back to a cold start again tomorrow morning with #frost in places, and weather warnings for #snow and #ice #weatheraware pic.twitter.com/91PfpcWulL

The severe snow and ice warning for the rest of the UK, excluding easternmost parts, will remain in place until midday on Friday. Rain and hill snow is expected to clear in north-west Scotland late on Thursday and from others areas by Friday morning.

The Met Office said: “Ice is expected to form as skies clear. Heavy sleet, hail and snow showers will follow, and these will be most frequent across Northern Ireland, western Scotland, north-west England and by morning across Wales and the north and west Midlands.”

Two to five centimetres of snow may accumulate above 100 metres, with some expected on lower ground too, the Met Office said.

At 5.30am on Thursday, the coldest temperature of -6.4C (20.5F) was recorded at Shoreham airport in West Sussex, while London had an overnight low of -1.4C (29.5F).

Martin Bowles, a Met Office meteorologist, said: “Over a few days we have been getting weather that is generally coming from northern parts, with some weather coming from Canada. At the moment it is called a polar maritime air mass, which is coming from beyond Iceland and Greenland. So that is bringing in the cold air.”

