Britain is bracing for its first major Arctic blast of autumn next week with sub-zero temperatures, sleet, and snow on the way alongside rain and strong winds.
Temperatures in some areas will be significantly below average for the time of year, with daytime highs in London reaching just 6C (43F) and overnight lows of -1C (30F).
The Met Office today issued two weather warnings for snow and ice—the first for northern Scotland from Sunday 4 pm until Monday 11 am, and the second for southern Scotland and north England from Monday 10 am until Tuesday 10 am.
The mercury will plunge well below zero in most of Scotland next week, with the Met Office giving a ‘lowest possible’ reading in the Highlands of -17C (1F) next Thursday.
Meteorologists said parts of the UK are expected to see ‘a messy mixture of rain, sleet, and snow’ in the coming days, with the whole of the country turning cold.
The Met Office told of a ‘major change in the weather from this weekend as an early winter cold spell arrives, bringing the potential for disruption for some next week’.
The UK Health Security Agency has issued a cold health alert from Sunday until next Thursday for the Midlands and North of England, warning of an ‘increased use of healthcare services by vulnerable people’ and ‘greater risk to life’ for the vulnerable.
Forecasters warned that it was too early to pinpoint the precise locations where the wintry weather would affect, even if computer models showed many possibilities.
It follows the driest first half to November for England and Wales since at least 1931, with some areas having less than 10 percent of their average rainfall during a period of ‘anticyclonic gloom’ as cloudy conditions dominated with little to no wind.
The majority of England and Wales will get drier and sunnier weather, while northern England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland will see overcast conditions with the possibility of rain in the west.
Temperatures will be a little above average today with 13C (55F) highs – although winds will become stronger in the North later tonight, ‘ushering in colder Arctic air’.
Wintry showers will follow over the hills as clouds and patchy rain travel southward throughout Scotland, Northern Ireland, and northern England.
Tomorrow will see the rain continue to head southwards across England and Wales while conditions turn colder in the North with the ‘possibility of some hill snow’.
When the erratic and significantly cooler weather starts on Sunday, low pressure then sweeps in. While it will be cloudier elsewhere with rain, stronger winds, and possible snow over higher land, the North will have sunny periods and wintry showers.
The first weather warning for northern Scotland, covering the Highlands area, said ice and some snow could lead to ‘slippery surfaces and difficult travel conditions’, with possible ‘icy patches on some untreated roads, pavements, and cycle paths’.
Roads and railways could be affected by longer journey times by road, bus, and train services, while there could also be ‘injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces’.
Forecasters said that during Sunday afternoon within the warning area, showers will turn increasingly wintry through the day with hail, sleet, and some snow.
Little snow is likely to settle at low levels by day, but through the evening and overnight, 1 cm (0.4 in) to 3 cm (1.2 in) may accumulate in some places, while 5 cm (2 in) to 10 cm (4 in) is possible on high ground above 1,000 feet (300 m) by Monday morning.
Additionally, ice is expected to develop on untreated surfaces when temperatures drop overnight.
The second warning, which was issued Monday morning, extends as far south as West Yorkshire and Lancashire and encompasses all of southern Scotland, up to Edinburgh and Glasgow.
The Met Office said there was a chance of power cuts and mobile phone coverage being affected, while ‘untreated pavements and cycle paths’ could become impassable.
There is a ‘slight chance that some rural communities could become cut off’, while bus and train services may be delayed or cancelled, with some road closures.
In addition, there is a chance of ‘injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces’ and ‘travel delays on roads with some stranded vehicles and passengers, along with delayed or cancelled rail and air travel’.
For this warning, the Met Office said spells of rain, sleet and snow are likely during Monday and overnight into Tuesday morning.
Forecasters said the ‘most likely scenario’ is for most of the snow to fall on high ground, with 5 cm (2 in) to 10 cm (4 in) possible above 1,000 feet (300 m) and perhaps as much as 15cm (6in) to 20cm (8in) above 1,300ft (400m).
They added: ‘There is a small chance of snow settling at lower levels, where 5cm to 10cm would prove much more disruptive, but this is very uncertain.
‘As rain, sleet and snow clear on Tuesday morning, ice may form on untreated surfaces.’
Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Rebekah Hicks said: ‘A notable early winter cold spell will arrive across the north from Sunday and will likely reach all parts of the UK by midweek.
‘Temperatures will drop as a northerly airflow develops, bringing in colder Arctic air. This introduces the possibility of snow, initially over high ground in the north from Sunday, with gusty winds also a potential hazard.’
The Met Office said that there was ‘currently much uncertainty in what we might see next week, with computer models showing a number of different scenarios’.
This year, many retirees who are unable to pay for home heating may pass away. The Labour administration believed it was too good a chance to pass up, so they went ahead with it despite Labour’s prediction that this is what would happen if the Conservatives cut the fuel allowance.
Think of all the inheritance tax, they must be rubbing their hands together! No more pensions to pay out, no more NHS medicines. Think of all the savings and extortionate amount of money gained. Our government aren’t stupid!
Now they will just give it away on useless projects, like illegal immigrants. It makes my blood boil.
Helping the old on their journey to the hereafter seems like a clever ploy—legalizing the extermination of our elderly—and this is exactly what our Labour administration is doing, spitefully. I don’t know how Reeves manages to sleep at night!
They are attempting to kill elderly folks. Pensioners are viewed as a burden on society despite having put in a lifetime of hard labour and contributions to the system.
Our government don’t want pensioners to survive. They see them as a drain on society and the NHS and they want them to quietly die off, that’s why they keep putting the retirement age up, hoping they die before they can even cash in on their pensions, and their replacements are coming across the channel daily, paid for by YOU, and you think your opinion counts, think again!
We the British people are a minority now, not a majority!
THE MONTHLY MOSQUITO 