We’ve already had the coldest night of winter, but it’s set to get even colder in the UK.
Much of the country has either been flooded or gridlocked by heavy snow in the last few days.
Several airports have been forced to ground flights due to hazardous conditions, numerous cars have crashed on motorways, and railway lines have been flooded.
Dozens of people have even been trapped at Britain’s highest pub – the Tan Hill Inn in North Yorkshire – where they’ve run out of sausages since a snowstorm blocked their escape on Saturday.
Sunday night was the coldest night of winter so far, with temperatures dropping to -13.3°C in parts of Scotland.
But the Met Office is forecasting even colder weather for Wednesday.
Temperatures are predicted to drop as low as -14°C in the North of England and -12°C in parts of Scotland that night.
On Thursday, they could fall as far as -16°C in northern England and -14°C in Scotland. The rest of the country is expected to be above -10°C.
This prolonged cold spell has seen the Met Office extend its snow and ice yellow weather warnings.
Tonight they apply to Northern Ireland, Scotland, North Wales and an area of northern England around Manchester.
Wednesday might even deliver snow for London with a healthy North-South divide.
A yellow weather warning for snow has been issued across most of the south, but it cuts London right in half.
Chris Almond, the Met Office’s Deputy Chief Forecaster, said: ‘Thursday will see another cold night, with potentially the lowest temperatures of the Winter so far, -15°C or so is possible in locations with lying snow in Scotland or northern England.
‘In the early hours of Friday, a front arriving from the west will encounter the cold air in place over the UK.
‘This could bring further sleet or snowfall for some regions in the south and west, as well as a risk of ice for a time as it moves north-eastwards into central parts, but the extent of this is still uncertain.
‘By Sunday, milder air will have moved in across much of the UK, meaning rain is more likely than snow as we get to the end of the weekend.
‘Northern Ireland and Western Scotland are most likely to see some showery outbreaks of rain and breezy conditions through Sunday, with conditions further south and east drier and more settled.’
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