The Beast is back! Snowploughs and gritters on standby amid warnings four inches could fall tomorrow night with the UK facing the worst travel chaos since the Beast from the East
snow 1
Britain faces its worst travel disruption since the Beast from the East a year ago as a blanket of snow sweeps across the country this week amid a deep chill.
Sub-zero temperatures and gale-force winds could combine with the white stuff – especially in the South East of England – to spell travel chaos, power cuts and cut off villages as bone-chilling air from the Arctic hits the UK.
It is feared power lines and mobile networks could be put at risk by the deteriorating weather, which comes after winds gusting at up to 82mph in Devon battered areas yesterday, causing difficult take-off conditions for planes.
A severe yellow weather warning for snow has been issued in the South East between
This week’s cold air is coming from the Arctic – rather than Eastern Europe, which brought the 2018 Beast from the East last February and March that caused widespread travel disruption, school closures and sub-zero conditions.
Snow and ice warnings have also been issued by forecasters for the rest of England and Wales, running from midday tomorrow until 11am on Wednesday, and western Scotland, from 1am until 12pm tomorrow.
Up to 1.2in (3cm) of snow is expected for much of the South East, including London, while places on higher ground could see up to 3.9in (10cm). Winds of up to 60mph are forecast inland – and 70mph on the coast.
Met Office snow and ice warnings for Britain tomorrow
The coldest temperature this morning was -6C (21F) at Loch Glascarnoch in the Scottish Highlands, after a weekend that brought unseasonably mild temperatures on Saturday, including 13.9C (57F) to Cardiff.
The top wind speed recorded yesterday was 82mph – at Berry Head in Devon, followed by Orlock Head in County Down, Northern Ireland, at 71mph.
The Met Office has forecast cold conditions ‘certainly’ for another three weeks at least, with temperatures expected to be much colder than the -3C (27F) currently being experienced in Helsinki, Finland.
A level three cold weather alert – one tier below a level four
