Londoners wake to snow as ‘Beast from the East’ sweeps UK
Snow hits the capital: Londoners wake to dumping of the white stuff as ‘Beast from the East’ sweeps UK – while drivers are warned of icy roads after -11C plunge
- Snow has fallen around the South East, including in Sevenoaks, Kent, and Orpington, London, this morning
- It comes amid yellow weather warnings for ice, which currently stretches from Nottingham to Edinburgh
- Met Office has forecast wintry showers in the East and South East tonight with temperatures in single digits
Londoners have woken up to snow this morning as ice warnings blanket the north east of England – amid predictions Britain could see a return of the ‘Beast from the East’ as temperatures dropped as low as -11C.
There was a light dusting on the M25 at Orpington and on the M26 in Sevenoaks this morning, with more wintry showers predicted for the South East and London later tonight.
Others in nearby Biggin Hill, as well as South London and in Gloucestershire awoke to dumpings of the white stuff.
Elsehwere in the Midlands, Birmingham has seen flurries after another cold winter night across the country.
It comes as temperatures dropped as low -8C in Kinbrace, Scotland yesterday, with other parts of the country seeing temperatures as low as 11C today..
It comes as conditions could follow those seen during the ‘Beast from the East’ – a 2018 cold wave that brought freezing temperatures and snow storms to Britain.
Biggin Hill in Bromley awoke to snow this morning as the white stuff fell across the south east this morning – with more wintry showers forecast tonight
Today marks the official start of England’s third lockdown amid growing Covid-19 measures. Birmingham saw flurries this morning as winter takes hold
Experts say it’s too soon to predict whether a ‘sudden stratosphere warming’ would bring similar conditions seen during the Beast from the East in February 2018
Earlier this week Met Office forecaster John Griffiths told MailOnline it was to soon to tell if a ‘sudden stratosphere warming’ would bring similar conditions to three years ago.
Temperatures are not expected to get above 5C this morning – and will likely stay in single digits for most of this week.
A yellow warning for ice is currently in place, stretching from Nottingham to Edinburgh, as well as in Aberdeen and Belfast.
The Met Office has warned people could suffer injuries from slips and falls, adding there will be some ‘some icy patches on untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths’.
Tatsfield in Surrey had plenty of snow on the ground this morning, with more wintry showers predicted for the South East later on Wednesday evening
Snow has fallen in mostly higher areas of the country, with Biggin Hill on the edge of London and Kent getting a fair amount
While England has entered its third national lockdown, some commuters in Biggin Hill still had to brave the snowy conditions
There were flurries over Birmingham this morning after another cold night for Britain, with ice warnings for the North East
Biggin Hill welcomed its first snowfall of the New Year this morning as the town on the edge of South East London awoke to a cold morning on Wednesday
There was a dusting of snow in Gloucestershire today as well, as ice warnings are in place across the east of the country
The Met Office is warning motorists to be careful on the roads after snow fell on the M25 and M26, while ice warnings are in place from Nottingham to Edinburgh
A Met Office forecast for today read: ‘Many central and northwestern parts dry with sunny spells, whilst further wintry showers affect the east.
‘Rain, sleet and snow reaching northwest Scotland later. Cold.
‘Wintry showers east and southeast. Clear spells elsewhere with frost, severe across central parts. Rain, sleet and snow moving southeast across Scotland and Northern Ireland, turning icy in places.’
It is predicting a wet and snowy week across Northern Ireland, Scotland and northern England throughout the rest of the week.
The weather is expected to warm up slightly in the north by the weekend, but largely dry and cold in the south.
That will come as some disappointment to teenage ice skater Demi Lang, who used the road outside her house as a makeshift ice rink earlier this week.
Snow and rain froze her road in Motherwell on Monday, giving the 13-year-old the perfect chance to don her skates.
Her mother Laura, a 33-year-old support worker, said: “Demi is absolutely ecstatic. I have to scrape her off the ceiling when she does actually come back into the house.
“When she realised how slippery it was she almost had a light bulb moment and asked did I think she could put her skates on.
I said give it a try and that was that. She went out, it worked and she started screaming “I can skate, I can skate.”‘
Demi Lang, 13, donned her skating boots after the road outside her home in Motherwell froze over on Monday night, giving her the perfect chance to practice her figure skating
While Demi was able to enjoy her frozen road in Motherwell on Monday evening, the Met Office has predicted conditions to warm up in the North over the coming days
The teenager’s mother said she was ‘absolutely ecstatic,’ after realising she could practice skating. Laura Lang said: ‘I have to scrape her off the ceiling when she does actually come back into the house’
