The United Kingdom is on high alert for a prolonged bout of severe winter weather, with forecasters issuing a slew of warnings for treacherous ice, heavy snow and damaging winds set to batter the nation this week.
Widespread Warnings for Ice and Snow
An entrenched Arctic air mass continues to push wintry showers across the country, prompting the Met Office to issue yellow ice warnings for vast areas, including Northern Ireland, for Wednesday morning. Northern Scotland faces the harshest conditions, under a yellow snow and ice alert all day Wednesday, where an additional 5–10cm of snow is expected to settle.
Temperatures are plummeting, with parts of rural Scotland likely to see lows of minus 6C, while more widespread overnight frosts are expected. The cold snap's severity was highlighted on Tuesday when the mercury plunged to a bitter minus 12.5C in Marham, Norfolk.
Met Office forecaster Marco Petagna urged the public to exercise extreme caution. "Be careful of slippery surfaces and the potential for injuries," he warned, noting that icy patches could affect untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths, particularly away from major routes.
Storm Goretti to Bring Further Snow and Gale-Force Winds
The icy start is merely a prelude to more disruptive weather later in the week. A fresh yellow warning for snow, covering a large part of England and Wales, will be active from 6pm Thursday until midday Friday. This is expected to be driven by strong winds over northern France, named Storm Goretti by Meteo France.
The Met Office predicts snow will develop over higher ground in south Wales late Thursday before rain turns to snow more widely overnight. Some regions could see 5–10cm of accumulation, with up to 20cm possible in places. Simultaneously, a yellow wind warning for gusts up to 70mph will cover Cornwall, Devon and the Isles of Scilly from Thursday afternoon until midnight.
The severe conditions are already causing significant disruption. LNER has advised passengers not to travel between Edinburgh and Aberdeen until at least Friday, while ScotRail has cancelled or severely disrupted multiple routes in the Highlands.
Cold Weather Payments Activated and Public Health Alert
The government confirmed the freeze has triggered cold weather payments for hundreds of thousands of eligible households. These £25 payments are automatic when temperatures hit zero or below for seven consecutive days. Payments have been activated for postcodes across England, Wales and Northern Ireland on five separate days, with some households in Cumbria and Northumberland qualifying for £50.
In Scotland, the situation is critical in some areas. Aberdeenshire Council has declared a major incident, warning rural communities risk being cut off and that power cuts are possible. Schools there will remain closed for a third day on Wednesday.
The UK Health Security Agency has extended its amber cold health alerts for England until Sunday, warning the low temperatures are likely to impact health and social care services. The dangers were starkly illustrated in Plymouth, where a woman suffered a serious leg injury after slipping on an icy pavement, requiring air ambulance treatment and powerful pain relief.
RAC breakdown spokesperson Alice Simpson urged drivers to plan ahead, clear vehicles properly using a scraper—not hot water—and to carry appropriate screen wash. "The key is allowing more time at every stage of the journey," she advised, as Britain hunkers down for a fierce and disruptive winter onslaught.
