(No Like Yet)
Published on : Tuesday, December 29, 2020
Heavy snowfall causes severe disruption to parts of the United Kingdom as temperatures plummeted following days of stormy conditions over Christmas and New Year.
The Met Office issued yellow weather warnings for snow and ice across much of England, Scotland and Wales lasting until 10am on Tuesday after forecasting a “cold and frosty start” to Bank Holiday Monday.
Up to 10cm of snow fell in some parts of the country overnight, prompting two police forces to urge motorists to avoid travelling because of the conditions.
Gloucestershire Police warned of delays in rural areas while Staffordshire Police reported a “large number of stranded vehicles” on the A458 between Stourbridge and Bridgnorth. The force also reported that several roads in north Staffordshire were “impassable” due to collisions and added not to travel unless absolutely essential.
Dudley Zoo in the West Midlands said it would close on Monday due to the snow while Haydock Park racecourse announced that it had abandoned its plans for racing on Wednesday after four inches fell overnight.
The Met Office has also warned that further snow and ice could cause disruption across England and south Wales from 10am on Wednesday to 6am on Thursday.
Its weather warning suggests that up to two to five cm of snow could fall across parts of southern Wales, central and southern England, and there is a small chance of 10 to 15 cm settling in a few places, most likely on high ground above 200 metres.
The blizzard conditions over the weekend saw temperatures drop to -2.9C in Aboyne in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, on Sunday while St Mary’s just off the Cornish coast had the warmest weather at 8.5C. On Monday morning Londoners woke to temperatures of -1C with highs of just 5C forecast.
It follows several days of wintry weather over the Christmas period which brought flooding to parts of southern England before Storm Bella arrived on Boxing Day with winds of more than 100mph.
Huge snow fell in parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland and England on Sunday and flooding was reported in parts of eastern England, with kayakers taking to the roads in Norfolk in an attempt to traverse water-logged streets.
As of Monday afternoon, 87 flood warnings remained in place across England calling for immediate action ahead of expected flooding, alongside 158 flood alerts.
Tags: christmas, United Kingdom