The United Kingdom shivered through its coldest night so far this winter, with a small Norfolk village recording a bone-chilling low of minus 12.5 degrees Celsius. The deep freeze on Monday night followed a day of significant disruption, including school closures and travel chaos across the nation.
Record Lows and Widespread Frost
According to the Met Office, the village of Marham in Norfolk was the coldest recorded place in the UK. It was not alone in experiencing extreme conditions. Santon Downham in Suffolk and Topcliffe in North Yorkshire both saw temperatures fall to minus 10°C. In Scotland, Dalwhinnie and Tulloch Bridge recorded lows of minus 11.2°C and minus 10.7°C respectively, while Bala in Snowdonia National Park, North Wales, dropped to minus 9.6°C.
Overnight snowfall was also significant, with 36cm recorded at Loch Glascarnoch. The Met Office has forecast that temperatures will plunge below freezing again for much of the country, with the coldest spots over snow cover potentially reaching minus 12°C once more.
Storm Goretti Set to Worsen Conditions
The frigid weather is set to be compounded by the arrival of the year's first named storm. Storm Goretti, named by Météo-France, is expected to bring strong winds and heavy snow to large parts of England and Wales later this week.
The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for snow covering a vast area including Sheffield, Peterborough, Bath, and Worcester, as well as much of Wales. This warning is active from 6pm on Thursday until midday on Friday. Forecasters predict snow will develop over higher ground in South Wales on Thursday evening before turning to more widespread snow across England and Wales overnight.
Accumulations could be substantial, with some areas seeing 5-10cm of settling snow and others potentially receiving up to 20cm. A separate yellow warning for strong winds has been issued for Cornwall, Devon, and the Isles of Scilly from Thursday afternoon until midnight, due to the same storm system.
Significant Disruption and Health Warnings
The combination of heavy snow and freezing temperatures poses a serious risk. The Met Office has warned that rural communities could be cut off, mobile phone coverage may fail, and significant travel disruption on roads, railways, and at airports is likely, with public transport services facing cancellations.
In response to the ongoing severe conditions, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has extended its amber cold health alerts for England. This serves as an early warning that the adverse weather is likely to impact health and social care services, with the alert currently in place until Sunday. The public is advised to take necessary precautions to stay warm and safe.
