‘Beast from the East II’ strikes: Storm Darcy brings a FOOT of snow, -10C chill and 50mph gales
‘Beast from the East II’ strikes: Storm Darcy causes vaccine centres to shut and chaos on the roads and railways with up to a FOOT more snow set to fall today with -7C chill and 50mph gales and warnings until Wednesday
- Snow warnings are in place across most of the England and Scotland, with delays to road, rail and air routes
- Freezing 50mph gales from Russia and Ukraine dubbed ‘mini Beast from the East’ are tearing across Britain
- Towering snowdrifts described by road clearance teams as ‘higher than our snow ploughs’ seen in Suffolk
- In Norfolk alone, around 350 schools are closed, while Southeastern railway is urging people not to travel
Storm Darcy brought chaos to Britain today, with up to a foot of snowfall and 50mph winds causing crashes, rail cancellations and vaccination centre closures amid ‘Beast from the East II’.
Most of England and Scotland is now covered in snow, with temperatures plunging as low as -7C in Scotland as a ‘bitterly cold’ weather system swept in from Ukraine and the Black Sea.
Three of East Anglia’s largest vaccination centres remained closed due to the snow today, after initially shutting their doors on Sunday.
A yellow snow warning is in place across the eastern half of the UK from first thing today until midnight on Wednesday, running from the south coast near Brighton up to the Shetlands off northern Scotland.
A more serious amber warning is in place for Essex, Kent, Suffolk, Norfolk and a small part of south-east London, where forecasters are warning of power cuts. This will last until midday today.
Rail services have also been disrupted, with Southeastern advising passengers not to travel and Greater Anglia expecting disruption until midday.
In Norfolk alone, around 350 schools are closed because of the snow and ice, after sub-zero temperatures created perilous conditions on roads.
The Met Office says snow falls of up to 10cm (3.9in) will be widespread in the amber areas, increasing up to 30cm (11.8in). The heaviest snow is expected to be today before easing slightly tomorrow and Wednesday.
Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue tweeted a dramatic image of a multi-vehicle crash between Tuxford and Worksop early this morning
Fresh snowfall over the village of Haddenham in Cambridgeshire this morning following the effects of Storm Darcy
Weather warnings are in place for snow and ice until Wednesday – with the most serious alerts for this morning. Yesterday saw 22cm of snow settle in Aberdeenshire, with 17cm in Manston, Kent
Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue tweeted this photo of a a Ford Fiesta car that lost control and crashed into a ditch in Kirton
A snow plough heads out on the A14 this morning amid a battle to keep roads clear from the heavy snowfall over night
Rail services have also been disrupted, with Southeastern advising passengers not to travel and Greater Anglia (pictured) expecting disruption until midday
A motorist falls foul of the severe weather conditions near Stevenage in Hertfordshire, in an image tweeted by the local road policing team
The Met Office has issued severe amber snow warnings for London and south-east England, where heavy snow is likely to cause long delays on roads as well as affecting rail and air travel.
Around 5cm-10cm (2in-4in) is set to fall in these areas, reaching up to 30cm (11.8in) in the worst affected regions.
Another amber warning is in place for Nottinghamshire and north to Sheffield, as well as east into Lincolnshire.
Both warnings said power cuts are likely, along with interruptions to mobile phone services.
Today, police forces in parts of Suffolk, Norfolk and Essex told drivers not to travel as roads became ‘impassable’ due to settled snow.
Road closures were announced in Norfolk, Lincolnshire, Cumbria, Derbyshire and Hertfordshire.
Suffolk Highways said conditions were ‘worsening’, comparing the recent weather to the ‘Beast from the East’ of 2018.
People in Kent were told to expect slower traffic, with police echoing many forces around the country in warning drivers only to travel ‘if necessary’.
The AA said the ‘treacherous driving conditions’ led to ‘numerous’ accidents on UK roads on Monday.
Spokesman Ben Sheridan said: ‘Roads will be lethal where snow and ice has hit the UK. If you must travel, reduce your speed to account for the conditions and leave plenty of space behind other vehicles.
‘Don’t forget to clear snow from the windows, lights and roof of the car so you can see and be seen, and watch out for black ice and compacted snow, especially in rural areas.’
Meanwhile, National Rail has told train passengers that services across the country are likely to be affected by the conditions.
The firm said ‘it may be necessary to close some routes’, and urged customers to travel ‘later in the morning’.
Southern Rail announced service cancellations in south-east London, while networks in Kent and Essex have closed train lines.
Several Covid-19 vaccination centres remain closed, including: Clacton Hospital, Colchester United’s stadium, Gainsborough Sports Centre in Ipswich and Chevington Close in Bury St Edmunds.
A number of schools were closed across the south-east of England and Lincolnshire.
Suffolk farmer Ed Walsh snapped the snow lying on his garden furniture following flurries overnight – with more on the way
Temperatures dropped to around -2C in London this morning as Londoners headed out to work in socially-distanced offices
Snow has blanketed snow in Detling, near Maidstone, Kent overnight. Elsewhere in the county, 17cm settled in Manston yesterday
Temperatures dropped close to -3C overnight in Braemar, while snow blanketed parts of London at the start of the week today
In Ashford, Kent, a Tesco delivery van was seen making its way up an icy road in the village of Great Chart on Monday morning
Southend-on-Sea can expect strong winds to arrive from the Beast from the East this week after waking up to snow today
Footprints barely made a dent in the snow in Alford, Aberdeenshire. The Met Office has warned some rural communities could be cut off if snow continues to fall along the East of Britain
There are also fears of power cuts across the country in the coming days, after Edinburgh residents reporting outages on Sunday evening. Pictured: Bermondsey this morning
As Londoners awoke to snow this morning, the Met Office has warned of long interruptions to power supplies and other services, such as gas, water, telephone and mobile phone coverage
Hyde Park has a light dusting of snow in London, with the worst-hit parts of the country expected to be further east
The Met Office’s amber weather warning for snow has been extended from midday to 2pm today. Hyde Park had a light covering this morning
Yellow snow and ice warnings are also in place for much of the rest of the UK, with people told to expect ‘frequent’ wintry showers that ‘may lead to travel disruption in places’.
The warnings, stretching across northern England to Belfast in Northern Ireland and down to the south-east of England, says ‘rural communities could become cut off’.
Between 10cm (4in) and 15cm (6in) of snow is ‘plausible’ in areas where showers ‘merge into more organised and prolonged spells’.
Temperatures are expected to plummet below 0C (32F) for most of the UK.
The Met Office said: ‘Strong easterly winds will make it feel bitterly cold across much of the UK, with further snow showers feeding westwards.
‘These showers merging into some longer spells of snow over some eastern areas, whilst always drier and brighter further west.’
The warnings will run into Wednesday.
Snowfalls continued in Nottingham this morning as the town of Stamford, Lincolnshire, awoke to a wintry scene. The Met Office has forecast between three and 8cm of snow across Britain, with as much as 10-15 cm over the Lincolnshire Wolds
Footpaths have been cleared near Tower Bridge this morning as commuters head back to work
Rotherhithe in south east London saw a snow settle overnight along with eastern parts of England as well as Scotland
Southeastern Rail strongly advised passengers not to attempt to travel on its network today as it closed one of its Kent lines. Workers are making the streets safe for commuters in Bermondsey today
Met Office Chief Meteorologist Paul Gundersen said: ‘The UK is in for a notably cold and snowy period over the next week,’ as seen in Bermondsey today
Amber warnings are in place across the East until 2pm today, while lesser yellow warnings will remain until Wednesday night
Dog walkers braved the elements near London’s City Hall on Monday morning. Strong winds could bring blizzards to eastern parts of the country
Early risers braved the snowy streets of south-east London today as the Beast from the East is set to last until Wednesday
Meteorologist Sarah Kent warned yesterday: ‘There will be significant disruptive snowfall across the South East.’ Pictured: Bermondsey today
Some parts of Britain could see more than 20cm of snow, with five to 10cm expected to settle in wider parts of the country
There was a dusting of snow in Lincolnshire this morning – with the majority of snow expected to fall in eastern parts of the country
There will be strong easterly winds during this period which may lead to blizzard conditions and blowing and drifting of lying snow at times. Pictured: Rotherhithe this morning
Windscreens were covered in snow overnight in Great Chart, Ashford, as Southeastern Railway – which serves the entire county of Kent, advised passengers not to travel
Commuters had to wrap up warm in London as temperatures dropped below freezing during Storm Darcy
The Met Office has predicted significant, disruptive snowfall in London and eastern parts of the country until Wednesday
Parts of the England have woken up under a blanket of snow today, including Lincolnshire (left) and Great Chart, Kent (right)
Public Health England (PHE) has issued a cold weather alert for the whole of the country, saying it could have ‘a serious impact on health’.
Dr Owen Landeg, of PHE, said: ‘For older people and those with heart and lung problems, it can increase the risks of heart attacks, strokes and chest infections.’
Yesterday a man who is thought to have been kite-surfing died at a beach amid the stormy weather.
Suffolk Police said the death of the man, who was found by passers-by on the shore at Walberswick beach, is not thought to be suspicious.
Police said it is believed the man, who was in his 50s, had been kite-surfing,
Snow fell over Suffolk overnight as temperatures plummeted below freezing as Storm Darcy takes its grip on the country
Roads were prepared for traffic in Rotherhithe this morning amid warnings that some streets could be blocked by snow in the worse-hit parts of the country
Temperatures are expected to stay below freezing for parts of this week. Pictured: London this morning
Kent was hit by snow over the weekend, with more falling over Great Chart, Ashford on Sunday night
While council workers have cleared the streets for pedestrians, Public Health England is urging the public to check on older relatives to ensure they are safe and healthy during the cold snap
Daytime temperatures will stay in low single figures for much of the country over coming days, with some places staying below freezing and the bitter winds will make it feel even colder.
Storm Darcy has brought heavy snow to Kent overnight, with an amber warning weather until this afternoon stating some roads could be blocked by deep snow. Police were seen assisting a lorry in Maidstone this morning
Snow near Detling in Kent, where the eastern part of the county is subject to an amber snow warning – which is more serious than a yellow one
Bermondsey in South East London has seen snow settle overnight – as Storm Darcy saw 22cm of the white stuff settle in Aberdeenshire on Sunday
Police have closed off part of a road in Kent this morning as they deal with a broken down lorry struggling with the elements
Cars at a showroom in Detling, Kent were blanketed with snow this morning, with more snowfall forecast for the rest of today
Vehicles travelling down Detling Hill braved snowy conditions on Monday morning – with more snow set to fall today
