Big freeze blankets UK in snow

  • 03/02/2019
Football fans play in snowy Turf Moor Stadium in Burnley, England.
Football fans play in snowy Turf Moor Stadium in Burnley, England. Photo credit: Getty

Temperatures have been falling across the UK amid forecasts of what could be the coldest night in almost a decade.

The mercury plunged to minus 11.7degC at Braemar in the Scottish Highlands just before midnight on Saturday, while most of the UK had dipped below freezing.

Forecasters said there was the potential for a low of minus 16degC in eastern Scotland overnight following a blast of cold weather than brought severe disruption to large parts of the country.

Several weather warnings have been issued for Sunday and Monday mornings, although some respite is expected with milder conditions moving in at the start of the week.

Icy stretches will continue to be a hazard in parts of southern England and East Anglia on Sunday.

Meanwhile there is a warning in place for snow and ice for a swathe of western Scotland reaching from Inverness in the north to the outskirts of Glasgow in the south.

"Much of the UK's dry, but across the north-west and west of Scotland there are some snow showers," Met Office meteorologist Greg Dewhurst said.

"It will be a cold, frosty start for many and then there is the risk of some more rain, sleet and snow coming into western Scotland by the end of the night into Monday morning."

Press Association