Snow and cold weather in UK
- Snow and ice warnings issued for Scotland and Northern Ireland as icy front advances from Atlantic
- Temperatures could fall to -6C (21F) in Scotland but southern England will enjoy mild conditions of 11C
- Most of Britain is covered by wind weather warning from Wednesday night with 80mph gusts on the way
Parts of Britain are facing three days of blizzards from today as Arctic winds threaten travel chaos and power cuts.
Forecasters have issued snow and ice weather warnings for Scotland and Northern Ireland as the icy front advances from the Atlantic, bringing heavy snow and temperatures as low as -6C (21F).
All of the UK will be battered by storms at some point this week as a powerful ‘weather bomb’ unleashes 80mph winds – with a chance of the Met Office naming the next major storm, Fionn, by the weekend.
A near-nationwide weather alert warns of winds gusting at up to 80mph from Wednesday night that will be strong enough to damage buildings, with flying debris bringing a ‘danger to life’.
A powerful storm system will strengthen through ‘explosive cyclogenesis’, also known as a ‘weather bomb’ – a term used when the central pressure of a storm drops by more than 24 millibars in 24 hours.
The Met Office warning has told of three days of ‘frequent and heavy hail and snow showers’, with concerns raised over icy roads and pavements, possible power cuts and problems with mobile phone coverage.
The snow showers will be heaviest and most frequent across western Scotland, with the largest accumulations of snow over high ground and showers accompanied by hail and lightning at times.
Travel delays on the roads are possible, with a chance of cancellations to public transport, while up to 2in (5cm) of snow is expected more widely over Scotland and Northern Ireland.
England and Wales will not be spared the downturn and are expected to be lashed by punishing gusts which could reach gale-force in some areas.
A spokesman from the Heating Oil industry has reiterated the following cold weather advice released in December 2017:
- Have your boiler serviced by an OFTEC (for heating oil) or GasSafe (for mains gas) registered technician. These professionals have been certified as fully competent and will check everything is working correctly and efficiently.
- Check you have set the correct on and off time on your heating controls to ensure the system comes on when you need it to.
- Bleed your radiators to make sure they work as efficiently as possible.
- For households using heating oil, top up your tank as soon as possible. When purchasing oil, we recommend using a firm which is a member of FPS (Federation of Petroleum Suppliers)
The spokesman continued ” Be mindful of your heating area. For example, you don’t want to waste money heating rooms that are no longer being used, turn down these radiators. These little adjustments can really add up and help you make significant savings, meaning you can keep the heating on for longer without increasing your fuel bills”
