The United Kingdom is in the grip of a severe cold snap, with widespread ice warnings in effect and a significant snow event forecast to arrive later this week. The Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings for much of the country as an Arctic air mass drives temperatures down to as low as -12.5C.
Nationwide Warnings and Freezing Conditions
On Wednesday morning, yellow ice warnings covered most of the UK, including Northern Ireland, following a night where temperatures plunged. Rural parts of Scotland saw the mercury drop to around -6C, with a chilling -12.5C recorded at Marham in Norfolk on Tuesday. The cold has been so persistent that it has triggered the government's cold weather payments for hundreds of thousands of eligible households across 451 postcode areas.
Marco Petagna, a Met Office forecaster, urged the public to take care. "In the ice warnings, be careful of slippery surfaces and potential for injuries," he said, highlighting that untreated roads, pavements, and cycle paths could be particularly hazardous. The Met Office has advised people to check road conditions and public transport timetables before travelling on Wednesday.
Storm Goretti's Snow Threat
The situation is expected to escalate with the arrival of Storm Goretti, named by Météo-France. From 6pm on Thursday until midday Friday, a yellow warning for snow will be in place for a large swathe of England, including cities like Sheffield, Peterborough, Bath, and Worcester, and across much of Wales.
Forecasters predict that snow will develop over higher ground in south Wales late on Thursday, before rain turns to snow more widely across England and Wales overnight. Accumulations of 5-10cm are likely in many areas, with some spots potentially seeing up to 20cm. A separate yellow wind warning has been issued for Cornwall, Devon, and the Isles of Scilly from Thursday afternoon.
Disruption and Official Response
The severe weather is already causing significant disruption, particularly in Scotland. Aberdeenshire Council has declared a major incident due to heavy snow, warning that some rural communities face being cut off and that power cuts are possible. Schools in the region will remain closed for a third day on Wednesday.
Transport networks are feeling the strain. LNER has advised passengers not to travel between Edinburgh and Aberdeen until Friday at the earliest, while ScotRail has cancelled or disrupted services on several lines, including between Inverness and Kyle of Lochalsh. The RAC's Alice Simpson advised motorists to allow extra time for journeys and to properly clear vehicles of ice and snow using a scraper and de-icer, not hot water.
In response to the prolonged cold, the UK Health Security Agency has extended its amber cold health alerts for England until Sunday, serving as an early warning that the adverse conditions could impact health and wellbeing.
