Snow, freezing rain and 60mph winds to hit UK on Valentine’s Day before temperatures jump by 12C next week
BRITS are braced for one more bone-chilling day of the cold-snap after temperatures plunged so low the sea froze.
Freezing rain, treacherous ice and 80mph gusts will today mark the end of the icy grip — before temperatures rocket tomorrow by 12C.
⚡ Read our UK weather live blog for the very latest news and forecasts.
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Strong winds are expected to hit parts of western Scotland and Northern Ireland’s east coast between 4am and midnight, the Met Office said.
It comes after temperatures plummeted so low that sea waves were seen freezing off the Isle of Sheppey in Kent.
Local dog walker Rob Chinn told Kent Online: « I was quite surprised.
« I’ve never seen anything like it before. It was like 12 to 15 inches of frozen sea or frozen slush.”
Met Office forecaster Luke Miall said today will not be « particularly pleasant » for most people, with winds reaching up to 40mph inland across England.
He said: « It’s going to be a bitterly cold day. Certainly where you’ve got freezing rain and ice, combined with those strong winds. »
Overnight temperatures were forecast to drop to minus 8C in Scotland and between -1C and -5C in England and Wales.
It’s going to be a bitterly cold day
Met Office forecaster Luke Miall
Daytime temperatures will hover about 2C in eastern areas, increasing to 11C in south-west England.
A yellow weather alert for wind warns of gusts of up to 80mph and large waves is also in place for coastal areas in western Scotland and Northern Ireland’s east coast.
But temperatures will begin to increase from tomorrow, with the mercury rising to 13C across England.
Mr Miall said the weather will be « quite wet and windy » for most of the week.
He said: « We will be hovering between 7C to 12C, I suspect, through Tuesday, Wednesday Thursday.
« Most of the snow will start melting early in the week, with the exception being Scotland because they have had so much of it. »
The chilly conditions froze Trafalgar Square’s fountains and brought large amounts of snowfall to regions across the country.
In Derbyshire’s High Peak area, the impressive Kinder Downfall also froze, turning the 98ft waterfall into a slippery climbing wall.
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Public Health England (PHE) has extended its cold weather alert through the weekend and has urged people to check on vulnerable relatives and neighbours.
Dr Owen Landeg, group leader for extreme events and health protection at PHE, said: « Cold weather can have a serious impact on health, particularly for older people and those with heart and lung problems, as it increases the risks of heart attacks, strokes and chest infections.
« Make a call, or socially-distanced doorstep visit if they live close by, to remind them to heat their home to at least 18C, 64.4F, and to keep up to date with the forecast.
« It’s also helpful to check they have enough food and drinks and any medicines they need. »
The coldest UK temperature for 65 years was recorded at Braemar in Aberdeenshire on Wednesday night, when the mercury dropped down to minus 23C.
A record low temperature for February was also recorded in England and Wales when temperatures in Ravensworth, North Yorkshire, dropped to minus 15.3C overnight on Thursday.
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And the Met has warned that « treacherous ice » may develop following freezing rain in affected areas today, adding that “significant disruption” to transport is possible.
Brits have been cautioned against perilous conditions on the roads, with fears that ice could lead to « road traffic collisions, road closures and longer journey times by public and private transport ».
The Met Office said there is also a « small chance of injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces ».
For Sunday the Met Office has issued two separate warnings for wind and ice.
The wind warning, which covers the North East coast of Northern Ireland and the North West coast of Scotland, warns that « large waves » are likely as a result of strong gales.
Gusts could reach 75mph in affected areas, with ferry services at risk of cancellation.
A Met Office spokesperson confirmed to The Sun Online that temperatures will rocket to 13C in London and Bristol tomorrow following the cold snap.
And on Tuesday, Manchester and the North West will also see 12C temperatures after an icy blast this weekend.
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It comes after the River Thames froze over for the first time in 60 years as the Beast from the East 2 continues to blast Britain.
The « extreme freeze » has sent temperatures tumbling with more heavy snow on the way.
Temperatures in London dropped to -2C on Thursday as Storm Darcy battered Britain with a sub-zero cold snap.
As a result of the bitter chill from the Baltic, a huge section of the Thames froze over at Teddington, South West London.
The last time the river completely froze over was in January 1963 which saw the coldest winter for more than 200 years.
It brought blizzards, snow drifts and temperatures of -20C and even saw some parts of the sea freeze over.
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The frosty weather has also caused a rare phenomenon in Britain – raging wild fires.
The extreme cold caused curing or drying out vegetation contributing to fires in Devon, Cornwall and Scotland.
Area commander Bruce Farquharson, from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, said winter fires were not uncommon due to extreme cold « curing » or drying out vegetation, and happened in Antarctica, Norway and Scandinavia.
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He said: « It is counter-intuitive for almost everybody but the risk is there, the vegetation is tinder dry and it just takes the slightest spark to ignite the fire and it will burn very quickly and spread very quickly. »
A huge fire fuelled by fierce winds that engulfed swathes of Dartmoor on Thursday night was understood to have stopped spreading by Friday morning.
The moorland blaze, understood to have been near Tavy Cleave, north of Tavistock, Devon could be seen from miles away and at one stage was described as being around three miles wide.
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