The UK is in the grip of a severe cold snap, with widespread ice warnings in place and a significant snow event forecast to arrive later this week. The Met Office has issued yellow weather alerts across much of the country as an Arctic air mass drives temperatures down to as low as -12.5C.
Nationwide Warnings and Impending Snowfall
On Wednesday morning, yellow ice warnings cover most of the UK, including Northern Ireland, following wintry showers. A separate warning for snow and ice is active all day in northern Scotland, where an additional 5-10cm of snow is expected. The focus then shifts to a major snow warning for a large part of England and Wales from 6pm Thursday until midday Friday.
This severe weather will be driven by strong winds associated with Storm Goretti, named by Météo-France. The Met Office forecasts that rain will turn to snow across England and Wales overnight Thursday into Friday, with 5-10cm likely to settle widely and some areas potentially seeing accumulations of up to 20cm. A separate yellow wind warning has been issued for Cornwall, Devon and the Isles of Scilly from Thursday afternoon.
Travel Disruption and Public Advice
The freezing conditions are already causing significant disruption. Aberdeenshire Council has declared a major incident, warning that rural communities could be cut off. Schools there are closed for a third day. On the railways, LNER has advised passengers not to travel between Edinburgh and Aberdeen until Friday at the earliest, while ScotRail has cancelled services on several Highland lines.
Forecaster Marco Petagna urged the public to take care on untreated roads, pavements, and cycle paths where icy patches will linger. The RAC advised motorists to allow extra time, use a proper scraper and de-icer, and ensure screen wash is effective to -10 degrees.
Health Alerts and Financial Support Activated
The prolonged freeze has triggered the government's Cold Weather Payment scheme. Eligible households in 451 postcode areas across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland will automatically receive £25 to help with heating costs. Some areas in Cumbria and Northumberland, where payments were triggered twice, will receive £50.
Concurrently, the UK Health Security Agency has extended its amber cold health alert for England until Sunday, serving as an early warning that the adverse temperatures are likely to impact health and social care services.
