UK weather forecast LIVE – 'Extreme freeze' hits today with snow and 40mph winds but Met Office say weekend will warm up
THE snow is set to last over the weekend after the record-breaking freeze which saw temperatures drop to -23C.
Met Office weather warnings for snow and ice remain in place for today and Saturday after the freezing weather of earlier this week.
The forecasters have also warned power cuts and travel chaos caused by severe weather will continue until through to the weekend.
There is also a chance that other services – such as mobile phone coverage – may be disrupted, they said.
With four different yellow warnings for snow and ice across the country, roads and railways could be affected, with journeys taking longer than usual.
Follow our weather live blog below for the latest news and updates from around the country
- Alice Peacock
STRONG, CHILLY SOUTHERLY TO START THE WEEKEND
A transition in the weather over the weekend is expected, with a chilly southerly expected to move across the UK on Saturday.
BBC forecaster Simon said it would still be "very cold" on Saturday, with a strong southerly wind and snow moving into Northern Ireland, Western Scotland, Wales and the South West of England.
The wind was expected to "fizzle out" by Sunday, but would be replaced by rain, which would douse the UK over the end of the weekend.
- Alex Winter
-23C IN SCOTS VILLAGE
- Alex Winter
MILLIONS WILL SEE SNOW AND ICE TODAY
Huge weather warnings for snow and ice remain in place between the Northern Isles of Scotland and Scarborough in the north, in Pembrokeshire, Wales, and between Exeter in Devon and Falmouth in Cornwall in the south-west.
Forecasters have warned people in the affected areas to take lots of care when they travel.
- Alex Winter
PLUNGE IN TEMPERATURE CAUSES PIPES TO BURST
As temperatures dip below freezing in Scotland, thousands have been forced to go without water after their pipes burst.
Scottish Water was dealing with double the normal number of burst pipes for this time of year, the BBC reported.
Hundreds of burst pipes had been reported over the past week.
And around 29,000 properties were left without water on Wednesday night in the east end of Glasgow, after a mains pipe burst.
- Tariq Tahir
DEER OH DEER IT'S CHILLY
A deer braves the snow and freezing temperatures as skiers approach in Braemar.
The Scottish town saw temperatures fall to -23C on Wednesday night.
Credit: Reuters - Tariq Tahir
JUST CHLLIN'
A couple were caught having sex at 2am on Dartmoor the coldest night for 26 years.
Officers caught the saucy pair romping in a car in Yelverton, West Dartmoor as temperatures plummeted to -3C overnight.
- Tariq Tahir
SNOW PATROL
A large police presence dispersed crowds of sledgers and skiers in Newcastle.
Hundreds of people gathered on Town Moor – a public area of common ground in Newcastle – to take advantage of the snow.
Credit: North News and Pictures - Tariq Tahir
FRIDAY MORNING TO BE COLD SAYS MET OFFICE
Friday is set to be another freezing day – though not as cold as this morning, say forecasters.
Brits woke up after a freezing night that saw temperatures drop to -22C in parts of the country.
- Tariq Tahir
POWER CUTS WARNING
The Met Office has warned power cuts and travel chaos caused by severe weather will continue until through to the weekend.
There is also a chance that other services – such as mobile phone coverage – may be disrupted, forecasters said.
With four different yellow warnings for snow and ice across the country, the Met Office said roads and railways could be affected, with journeys taking longer than usual.
- Tariq Tahir
SNOWY SCENES IN SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS
The A93 cuts its way through the snow with the river Dee by its side near Braemar.
A low of -22.9C was recorded overnight in the Scottish Highlands by the Met Office.
Credit: Getty Images – Getty - Niamh Cavanagh
WEATHER FORECAST FOR THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT
Cloudy in far west and southwest with strong winds and coastal gales possible.
Less cold than recently here.
Cold but mostly dry elsewhere though more snow showers for east Scotland.
(-Met Office)
- Niamh Cavanagh
15 WEATHER STATIONS RECORD LOWERS TEMPERATURES EVER FOR FEBRUARY
Fifteen weather stations across the UK recorded their lowest temperatures ever for February overnight on Wednesday, the Met Office has said.
Stations in areas of Scotland such as Kinbrace and Strathallan saw the mercury dip to minus 21.3C and minus 18.2C respectively.
The lowest temperature recorded in England and Wales was at Ravensworth, in north Yorkshire, which was recorded at minus 13.1C.
- Niamh Cavanagh
WEATHER WARNINGS IN PLACE THIS WEEK
Snow and ice warnings are in place across the UK today and will continue until Saturday night.
- Niamh Cavanagh
SNOW IN SCOTLAND SEEN FROM SPACE
- Alice Peacock
PLUNGE IN TEMPERATURE CAUSES PIPES TO BURST
As temperatures dip below freezing in Scotland, thousands have been forced to go without water after their pipes burst.
Scottish Water was dealing with double the normal number of burst pipes for this time of year, the BBC reported.
Hundreds of burst pipes had been reported over the past week.
And around 29,000 properties were left without water on Wednesday night in the east end of Glasgow, after a mains pipe burst.
- Niamh Cavanagh
COLDEST FEBRUARY ON RECORD NOW FIRMLY ODDS ON WITH BOOKIES
This February is now as short as 1-3 with bookmaker Coral to be the coldest the UK has ever had as the UK's lowest temperature in 26 years was recorded.
-22.9C in Braemar, Aberdeenshire was reached overnight this week.
"We have endured some freezing weather already this month but now temperatures are sinking to record lows. This February is firmly odds on in our book to be the UK's coldest ever recorded," said Coral's Harry Aitkenhead.
Coral make it odds on, at 4-5, that snow falls in London during the month of March.
"Summer holidays are the talk of the news at the moment but this weather makes them feel a long way away, and we make it odds on the snow continues in London into March too," added Aitkenhead.
- Niamh Cavanagh
WEATHER WARNINGS ARE IN PLACE ACROSS THE UK
Make sure to take extra care when driving, cycling or walking today as icy and snow conditions make roads and paths dangerous.
- Niamh Cavanagh
CHANGES TO COME THIS WEEK
At the end of the week milder air from the Atlantic starts to spread into the UK.
These may stall where milder air meets a cold air mass in which we could see wintry hazards, such as rain, sleet and snow with freezing temperatures.
That harsh weather is more likely over higher ground but is still a possibility on lower levels.
- Niamh Cavanagh
SECOND LION CUB DIES AT ANIMAL RESERVE AFTER SNEAKING OUT IN FREEZING CONDITIONS
Two lion cubs have dies within days at a British zoo – because of the cold.
Port Lympne Reserve has been left “incredibly upset” after the passing of a lion cub on Tuesday.
It’s the second lion cub to die at the reserve near Hythe, Kent in recent weeks and follows some arctic weather conditions in Kent.
Less than a month ago staff at the animal park announced that lioness Oudrika had given birth to three lion cubs in January.
- Niamh Cavanagh
PICTURED
A woman jogs along a frozen canal and narrow boats in Little Venice in London.
Credit: Reuters - Niamh Cavanagh
LAST NIGHT WAS THE COLDEST SINCE 1995 WITH TEMPERATURES AS LOW AS -22C
- Niamh Cavanagh
CONTINUED
As the snow clears towards the east through the morning, it could become "quite pleasant outside with the sunshine, although still bitterly cold" in western areas, according to Met Office meteorologist Clare Nasir.
The latest plunge in temperatures comes after Tuesday night when minus 17.1C was recorded in the Scottish Highlands.
That marked the coldest temperature recorded in the UK since January 2010, when the mercury dropped to minus 22.3C.
Cities such as Manchester and Carlisle may drop to minus 4C (24.8F) on Thursday, and York is expected to have lows of minus 6C.
- Niamh Cavanagh
MERCURY PLUNGES TO MINUS 21.4C ON COLDEST NIGHT IN MORE THAN 10 YEARS
Temperatures plunged to below minus 21C overnight, the lowest in more than a decade, following an "extreme freeze".
The mercury dropped to minus 21.4C in Braemar, Aberdeenshire, the coldest temperature recorded in the UK since December 2 2010, when minus 21.3C was recorded in Altnaharra in the Highlands.
The Met Office said the last time a temperature below minus 20C was recorded in the UK was December 23, 2010.
Scattered snow showers and some sunshine is forecast for large swathes of the UK over the rest of the day on Thursday.
Yellow weather warnings for areas where wintry weather could cause travel disruption have been issued for the morning, covering the eastern half of Scotland and England, Devon, and south-west Wales.
- Alex Winter
MILDER WEATHER ON THE WAY – BUT IT'LL BE 'ERRATIC'
Cold weather will grip the UK for the rest of the week – before milder air gradually begins to spread in from the west.
However, forecasters say the change to warmer conditions is going to be "erratic" as the freezing blast which has swept over from Easter Europe and Russian will be "difficult to dislodge".
Met Office chief meteorologist Dan Suri said: “Weather for the rest of this week will continue to be very cold, with daytime temperatures only reaching a degree or so above freezing at best for many, and strong easterly winds continuing to make it feel even colder.”
- Alex Winter
DEVON AND CORNWALL WARNED OF SNOW AS CHILL STRETCHES ON
Weather warnings for snow and ice remain in place across much of the country for today, Friday and Saturday.
The east will remain worst-hit by the weather, but even the warmer south-west could see snow today.
Here are the warnings for today.
Millions set to see snow and ice
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