A severe Arctic weather front has plunged the UK into a deep freeze, forcing the closure of hundreds of schools and causing significant travel disruption as temperatures are predicted to drop as low as minus 12 degrees Celsius.
Widespread Disruption and Met Office Warnings
The Met Office has issued a series of severe weather alerts as an Atlantic low-pressure system collides with frigid Arctic air over the country. This clash is expected to bring a "messy mix" of rain, wind, snow, and ice to many regions throughout the week.
Forecaster Aidan McGivern explained there is a 30% chance the weather front could move through northern France, which would bring disruptive snow to southern English counties, particularly on higher ground. The most likely scenario, however, is strong wind and rain for southern UK, with central England facing potential snow disruption.
Currently, two amber snow warnings are active for northern Scotland until Tuesday evening, indicating a high risk of severe conditions causing travel chaos, power cuts, and potential danger to life and property. Broader yellow warnings for snow and ice cover southwest England, northern and eastern England, and Wales, with a separate yellow ice warning for Northern Ireland.
School Closures and Transport Chaos
The immediate impact of the freezing conditions has been widespread, with hundreds of schools remaining closed on Tuesday. The worst affected areas are in Wales and Scotland, where drifting snow and ice have made travel virtually impossible in northern regions.
Aberdeenshire Council and Orkney Islands Council have confirmed all schools and nurseries will be shut. The University of Highlands and Islands in Kirkwall is also closed. Dozens of schools in Northern Ireland are shut due to icy conditions.
Travel networks are severely impacted. Passengers were left stranded at airports in Manchester, Liverpool, Aberdeen, and Inverness on Monday. The Met Office warns that further heavy snow could isolate rural communities and disrupt road, rail, and air travel, with public transport services likely to be cancelled.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued amber cold health alerts for England, effective until Friday, warning that the adverse temperatures are likely to affect public health and wellbeing.
Passenger Rights and Looking Ahead
With flight cancellations expected to continue, Rory Boland, Editor of Which? Travel, reminded passengers of their rights. "Airlines have a duty of care," he stated. Passengers on UK or EU airlines, or those departing from UK/EU airports, are entitled to support during significant delays.
This includes:
- Food and drink during delays of over two hours for short-haul flights.
- Overnight accommodation if necessary.
- A choice between a refund or rerouting on the next available flight if a flight is cancelled.
The Met Office forecasts that rain turning to snow will hit Scotland and northern England on Tuesday, with accumulations of 1–5 cm likely in northern England and up to 10–15 cm in central and eastern Scotland. Overnight, temperatures are set to fall below freezing across much of the country once again.
