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Temperatures dropped to below -21 ° C in Scotland overnight, the lowest level in the UK in more than a decade, following “extreme freezing”.
Mercury fell to -21.4 ° C (-6.5 ° F) in Braemar, Aberdeenshire, the coldest temperature recorded in the UK since 2 December 2010, when it was recorded -21.3 ° C ( -6.3 ° F) at Altnaharra in the highlands.
The Met Office said the last time a temperature below -20 ° C was recorded in the UK was on December 23, 2010.
Scattered snow showers and some sunshine are forecast for large swaths of the UK for the remainder of the day on Thursday. Yellow weather warnings have been issued for the morning for areas where winter weather could cause travel disruptions, covering the eastern half of Scotland and England, Devon and south-west Wales.
As the snow clears to the east in the morning, it could get “quite nice outside in the sun, though still very cold” in western areas, according to Meteorological Office meteorologist Clare Nasir.
On Tuesday night, a temperature of -17.1C (1.2F) was recorded in the Scottish Highlands. That marked the coldest temperature on record in the UK since January 2010, when mercury fell to -22.3 ° C (-8.1 ° F).
Cities like Manchester and Carlisle may drop to -4 ° C (24.8 ° F) on Thursday, and York is expected to have lows of -6 ° C (21.2 ° F).
The Environment Agency has also issued nine flood advisories, where flooding is likely, and 88 flood alerts, indicating that flooding is possible, for locations across England. Neither was in place for the other UK nations on Wednesday night.
The forecast prompted responses from city councils in England, warning residents to be more careful while the cold snap lasts. Nasir said the weather on Friday and the weekend was expected to become “quite dangerous” as “an area of clouds and rain” coupled with extremely cold air brought more risk of snow and “perhaps even freezing rain.”
The Centrepoint homeless youth charity has urged people to contact them or Streetlink on 0300 500 0914 if they see people living in the cold. Charities have also recommended offering anyone who sleeps outside a hot drink, food, blankets or clothing.
The NHS said that despite the harsh conditions, many vaccination centers remained open and missed appointments would be rescheduled.
Several councils in England, including Rugby Town Hall and Southwark Town Hall in London, were forced to briefly suspend waste collection services due to weather conditions.
Thurrock’s council in Essex said that more than 100 workers, mostly from street cleaning and refuse collection crews, were diverted from their regular duties to help clear snow from trails and routes to medical centers.
