Dreaming of a white Christmas! Hopes soar for a festive frosting as many areas of Britain wake up to a blanket of snow after a night of blizzards – with temperatures plunging to -8C, ice warnings in place and more flurries forecast
- Britain faces travel disruption as heavy snowfall sweeps across Wales and northern counties this weekend
- Travel disruption is expected as yellow weather warnings for ice were issued from Saturday until Monday
- Temperatures plummeted as low as 17F while the southern regions still feel bitter winds, snow and showers
- ** Has YOUR home been blanketed with snow? Email [email protected] with your name and location**
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Britain woke up to a blanket of snow this morning following a night of blizzards and sub-zero temperatures.
Residents in the Lake District and the Peak District enjoyed Christmas card scenery with fells painted white following wintry conditions that are expected to continue throughout the day.
While a general election and a heavy snow storm saw Durham go from red to blue to white in the space of a week, with up to two inches falling on the ground across the region.
The Met Office has warned more snow could fall over the course of the weekend, while a number of weather warnings for ice have also been issued, covering parts of Scotland and northern England as well as northern Wales and Northern Ireland. Severe warnings will be in place until 11pm tonight.
Workers of the world, snow fight! A general election and snowstorm saw Durham go from red to blue to white in just one week
Ice, Ice, Baby: Heavy snow hit the region of County Durham over night and in the morning making for picturesque scenes
The Met Office has warned more snow could fall over the course of the weekend, while a number of weather warnings for ice have also been issued, covering parts of Scotland and northern England as well as northern Wales and Northern Ireland. Severe warnings will be in place until 11pm tonight
Snow much fun! A gardener in the Lake District captured this snowy scene beneath Grisedale Pike near Keswick in Cumbria
Some counties including Buxton in Derbyshire were already hit with the snowfall on Saturday, leaving fields blanketed in snow and winter service vehicles out in force to clear the roads.
A windy day is forecast for the rest of the country with the South West and South Coast in for a particularly breezy day with wind gusts expected to peak at 50mph, Mr Box said.
Police have issued warnings to motorists in some areas of northern England after a fresh covering of snow left vehicles stranded.
North Yorkshire Police said the A170 at Sutton Bank, Thirsk, was closed overnight and reported problems on the A59 Harrogate to Skipton road, in the Yorkshire Dales.
One traffic officer wrote on Twitter: ‘Blubberhouses is particularly treacherous with a number of vehicles stuck or stranded so please take care or use the A65.’
Further south, police warned of snowy conditions on the M62 at its highest point between Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire.
The Met Office has issued three yellow weather warnings for ice in Northern Ireland, the east coast from Sheffield up to Perth in central Scotland and northern Wales until 11am on Sunday.
Snow covering the Pendle in Lancashire. The Met Office has issued three yellow weather warnings for ice in Northern Ireland, the east coast from Sheffield up to Perth in central Scotland and northern Wales until 11am on Sunday
Snow arrives at Tan Hill in Yorkshire as the Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings for ice in the northern regions from around 9pm and continuing until 11am on Sunday morning
Pubgoers brace snow to reach the Highest Pub in Britain in Tan Hill, Yorkshire on Saturday
Blizzards rage in parts of the midlands and northeast (pictured, Tan Hill), and temperatures are expected to plummet to -8C in the Scottish Highlands, bringing frost and around three centimeters of snow
Frequent rain is expected in western parts of the UK on Sunday with a sunny day forecast for the east.
Mr Box said the showers are expected to die off overnight and Monday should be a drier day.
Speaking about Monday morning, Mr Box said: ‘There will be good spells of sunshine across much of the UK.’
This dry spell will last until Monday afternoon when rain is forecast in the south, which should hit London in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
‘We will see persistent rain overnight into Tuesday,’ he said.
While the forecast for Christmas is still unclear, Mr Box said a low pressure system could bring unsettled windy weather followed by ‘crisper’ and more settled weather.
‘Whether we see an unsettled windy and wet Christmas or a dry and perhaps sunny Christmas Day remains to be seen,’ he said.
- Has YOUR home been blanketed with snow? Email [email protected] with your name and location