UK weather live: country braces for icy blast as temperatures to fall as low as -16C | UK weather

Rachel Obordo

Temperatures in the UK are forecast to plunge as low as -16C as northern England and Scotland remain under snow and ice warnings from the Met Office.

Retired mountain guide, Steve Razzetti, from Hesket Newmarket, Cumbria, has been enjoying the snow with his family. The 67-year-old said they have about 45cm of snow and that this kind of weather is “unusual”. The last time he remembered it snowing this heavily was during the “beast from the east” in 2018.

“It’s -6C here and earlier this week my wife, who is a GP, had to walk four miles to get into work because our lane was blocked again after our neighbour ploughed it for us.”

“The kids were meant to go back to school yesterday but we were still snowed in. It was actually our son Jonty’s 13th birthday so he was really pleased to have the day off and spent it snowboarding.”

“The kids returned to school today and it was so sunny during our run this morning. As for me, I love the snow and think it’s brilliant.”

If you’ve been affected by the winter weather, you can share your experience here.

The Met Office has updated its forecasted lowest temperature to -16C. Previously, it had said temperatures would plummet as low as minus -15C.

Oli Claydon, spokesperson for the Met Office, told the PA news agency it will be “bitterly cold” on Thursday night.

He said the lowest temperatures will be recorded in rural Scotland and rural northern England where there is lying snow, cloudless skies and very cold airflow.

Lows of -20C have not been reached since -23C was recorded at Braemar, Aberdeenshire, in February 2021.

People in Yorkshire woke to wintry scenes on Wednesday after snow hit overnight, while sleet and snow are forecast for southern England in the afternoon.

“Much of the UK is seeing a much drier day and some bright conditions away from coasts,” Claydon said on Wednesday. “In those flood-affected areas it is a much better, drier picture.”

Claydon said the weather will get gradually milder over the next few days.

“Certainly by the end of the weekend we’re moving to a milder air mass and it’ll slowly get introduced across the UK through Sunday,” he said.

He added:

By Monday, the UK will broadly be in a milder air mass and we’ll see some rain moving in from the north-west into parts of western Scotland and potentially Northern Ireland as well.”

Great Britain’s energy grid operator has asked power plant owners to provide extra electricity by Wednesday evening as freezing temperatures take hold.

Demand for electricity is expected to climb between 4pm and 7pm as fresh weather warnings take effect across England, with snow expected as far south as London.

The National Energy System Operator (Neso) – which manages the energy systems in England, Scotland and Wales – said it needed an extra 1,700 megawatts of power generating capacity to avoid falling short of the electricity required to power homes and businesses within its normal safety margins.

This shortfall, which was flagged by Neso on Tuesday evening, is roughly the equivalent of the output of two to three gas-fired power plants, or the amount of electricity needed to power about 850,000 homes.

In an official market notice, the grid operator said:

We would like a greater safety cushion [margin] between power demand and available supply. It does not signal that blackouts are imminent or that there is not enough generation to meet current demand.”

A spokesperson for Neso added:

This is a routine tool that we use most winters, and means we are asking market participants to make any additional generation capacity they may have available. [It] does not mean electricity supply is at risk.”

The UK has relied more heavily on gas-fired power plants as freezing temperatures have taken hold of the country. The plants, which can fire up to run this evening, are expected to charge higher rates to generate electricity during this period.

Here are where the weather warnings are in place across parts of the UK:

And in Ireland:

More than 60 schools in northern Scotland are closed as snow and ice warnings remain in force across much of the country.

According to the PA news agency, forecasters also predict that further rain, sleet and snow showers could lead to some disruption to travel on Wednesday, with longer journey times possible.

A Met Office yellow warning of snow and ice in the north, north-east and west of Scotland is in place until midday. A separate warning of snow and ice in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Moray, the Highlands of Scotland, Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland will come into force at midday and run until midnight on Thursday.

On Wednesday, 54 schools and 39 nurseries in the Highlands of Scotland are closed while in Aberdeenshire nine schools are shut and many had delayed openings due to the weather.

The latest warnings come after days of wintry weather which saw temperatures drop to -5C at Tulloch Bridge in the Highlands of Scotland early on Wednesday, according to Met Office data.

Forecasters said up to 15cm of snow could accumulate on high ground in the area covered by the warning which comes into force at midday on Wednesday.

The Met Office said:

Sleet and snow showers will continue for the rest of Wednesday and Thursday, before dying out by the end of Thursday evening.

North-west Scotland and the Northern and Western Isles will see the most frequent showers on Wednesday, before extending to the north-east on Thursday.

Further accumulations of 3-7cm are expected to low levels, with 10-15cm possible above 150 metres.

Where any modest daytime thaw has occurred, icy stretches are likely on untreated surfaces.”

Thousands of people remain without power during a bitter cold spell across Ireland, reports the PA news agency.

Ireland was under weather warnings coming into Wednesday morning, with temperatures as low as -6C recorded in parts at 9am.

Temperatures were expected to plummet even further to around -8C overnight into Thursday, before conditions begin to improve on Friday and into the weekend.

All of Ireland is on at least a status yellow low temperature and ice warning until midday on Friday, but more severe alerts will also apply to the vast majority of the country, reports the PA news agency.

Irish weather agency Met Éireann said the extremely cold weather runs the risk of dangerous travelling conditions, transport delays and animal welfare issues.

A status orange low temperature and ice warning was in place for most counties overnight and expired at 10am on Wednesday. However, it will be followed by a similar warning for every county except Donegal between 6pm on Wednesday until 11am on Thursday.

In general, Met Éireann said Thursday would be “bitterly cold” with widespread frost, ice and patches of freezing fog.

The Electricity Supply Board said 4,000 homes, farms and businesses are without power.

Meanwhile, Irish utility agency Uisce Éireann continued to work to restore water to customers in the worst-affected regions. Tens of thousands of households and businesses had been cut off at the start of the cold snap. The main locations affected are Cork, Kerry, Limerick and Tipperary.

A yellow-level snow and ice warning was also announced for Northern Ireland, with the UK Met Office advising of a risk of injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces. That warning was due to expire at midday on Wednesday.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has extended its cold weather health alert for all of England until Sunday.

Amber alerts issued on Thursday last week have been extended and will now run until 12 January, meaning a rise in deaths is likely, the agency said.

Dr Agostinho Sousa, head of extreme events and health protection at UKHSA, said:

We are extending the duration of our cold health alert, since the Met Office are forecasting that the low temperatures we are seeing will continue further into this week, with snow and icy conditions likely to persist.

This weather can have a serious impact on the health of some people, including those aged 65 and over and those with pre-existing health conditions, and it is therefore vital that we continue to check in on friends, family and neighbours that are most vulnerable.

These people could be more at risk of heart attacks, stroke and chest infections as a result of cold temperatures.”

The Met Office yellow weather warning for snow covering southern counties of England remains in place until midnight on Wednesday. Fresh flurries of snow could hit this area on Wednesday afternoon, with the possibility of up to 4in (10cm) over higher ground.

Meanwhile, weather warnings issued on Tuesday for snow and ice covering the Midlands, parts of north Wales, the north-west of England, west and northern parts of Scotland as well as Northern Ireland remain in place until midday on Wednesday.

The UK has been hit by widespread flooding in recent days and a danger to life flood warning was issued for Barrow upon Soar in Leicestershire as firefighters had to rescue dozens of people stranded in rising water.

Scores of flood warnings and alerts remain in place for England but more than 200 have been removed in the last 24 hours and the weather is set to be drier over the next few days.

One flood warning is in place for the River Wye at Monmouth and four flood alerts are in place for the rest of Wales on Wednesday, Natural Resources Wales said.

The UK is braced for an icy blast, with temperatures set to plummet as low as -15C, the coldest of the winter so far, reports the PA news agency.

Parts of England were still subject to ice and snow warnings on Wednesday morning, and the Met Office said further alerts are likely to be issued as the week goes on.

The mercury will drop sharply, with lows of -15C possible in Scotland and northern England overnight on Thursday and sub-zero temperatures expected across the country.

A temperature of -14C would equal the lowest seen in this month last year, recorded in Dalwhinnie in the Scottish Highlands on 17 January 2024. But a temperature of -16C would be the lowest recorded in January in the UK for 15 years, since -22.3C was logged in Altnaharra in the Highlands of Scotland on 8 January 2010, according to Met Office data.

Here’s how you can check for flooding in your local area:

• England: Gov.uk have a service where you can search by town, city or postcode for current flood warnings or alerts, river, sea, groundwater and rainfall levels and flood risk in the next five days. The website advises contacting your local council though if you want to know if there’s surface water flooding (also known as ‘flash flooding’) in your area.

• Wales: Natural Resources Wales lets you to search for flood warning and alerts by postcode, location or place, as well as river levels, rainfall and sea levels (by river, location or station). It also offers a five day flood risk outlook. Users can also sign up to flood alerts and call a 24-hour Floodline service for updates.

• Scotland: The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) publish a flood forecast for the next three days, plus live flood updates. Again, you can sign up to flood alerts. You can also report flooding too.

• Northern Ireland: Flood Maps NI is an interactive map that lets users access the latest flood hazard information available from the Northern Irish government. You can look up an area by putting in an address into the box.

The Environment Agency have urged people to avoid swollen rivers as river flooding alerts and warnings remain in place through the Midlands and across parts of England.

In a social media post, the agency said that swollen rivers should be avoided due to strong currents that can sweep you off your feet.

“Do not walk through flood water,” the Environment Agency warns, adding that “just six inches of fast flowing water can knock you off your feet”.

Jessica Murray

As Cimi Kazazi stood in the middle of his flood-damaged bar and restaurant in the Leicestershire village of Great Glen, he struggled to find the words to describe the devastation.

“I can’t even talk about it. I can’t even bear to look at it,” said Kazazi, 50. “I don’t want to say a number [for the cost of the damage], I can’t, I’m scared to say it. I just hope the insurance will cover it.”

Thick mud has coated every surface of the Italian Greyhound, with furniture and glass bottles scattered across the room as if blown there by an explosion.

All the electrical appliances, including fridges, freezers and cellar pumping equipment, had been destroyed.

“There were bottles of whisky found floating in the car park. Thousands of pounds has gone,” said Kazazi, originally from Albania, and who has lived in the UK for over 20 years, mainly working in the hospitality business.

It had been a tumultuous 48 hours for Kazazi, who made national headlines after dramatic footage emerged showing him rescuing a woman from a submerged car.

He had been sat in his office upstairs in his flooded pub when he heard his neighbours shouting for him: “Cimi, Cimi, we need your help.”

He said he quickly waded across the chest-high water to rescue the woman and bring her to safety – despite the risks wading in such deep water and not being able to see steps and drops.

“I just walked out, I knew that it was dangerous but I was only concerned about the person,” he said. “It was so cold, really bad. But because I wasn’t thinking for me, I was thinking for them, I didn’t feel the cold.

“If she had been there for 15 more minutes, I think she could have died. It was scary.”

Floods minister, Emma Hardy, said:

My sympathies go out to the people, businesses and communities impacted by the recent flooding across the country.

I want to express my heartfelt thanks for the vital work that the Environment Agency and emergency services are doing to keep people safe. People must continue to follow their advice and sign up for flood warnings.”

On Tuesday, more than 100 flood warnings were in force across England with people urged to remain vigilant over the coming days.

A danger-to-life warning was issued on Tuesday morning but was later removed for the River Soar near Barrow upon Soar, Leicestershire, where people living in caravan parks were urged by the Environment Agency to act, with a large-scale evacuation needed to save lives.

Good morning and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of the UK’s freezing weather.

A fresh weather warning is set to come into force as it is revealed that 300 properties have flooded across England since New Year’s Eve, reports the PA news agency.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for snow covering southern counties of England from 9am until midnight on Wednesday, which could prove disruptive.

Between two and five centimetres of snow could accumulate fairly widely and as much as 10cm over higher ground, with the warning stretching as far as south London.

Weather warnings issued on Tuesday for snow and ice covering the Midlands, parts of north Wales, the north-west of England, west and northern parts of Scotland as well as Northern Ireland remain in place until midday on Wednesday.

Some roads and railways are likely to be affected, and there could be icy patches on untreated roads, the forecaster said.

The coldest nights of the year are expected this week, with temperatures potentially reaching -14C on Wednesday night and -16C on Thursday night, in the north-east of England and Scotland, the Met Office said.

Since New Year’s Eve, the Environment Agency estimates that more than 41,000 properties have been protected across England, but at least 300 properties have flooded.

Snowmelt has brought further disruption to parts of England, particularly in the Midlands, following the heavy rainfall over the New Year that saw significant river and surface water flooding across the north-west of England and Yorkshire, the Environment Agency said.

More on that in a moment, but first, here’s what else has been happening:

• Dozens of people have been rescued by firefighters across Leicestershire since Monday, Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service said. Homeowners on Belton Road in Loughborough were stranded on the first floor of their semi-detached houses on Tuesday after rising water from the nearby Grand Union canal flooded the street.

• Patients have been urged to attend A&E alone as NHS hospitals grapple with high demand amid rising flu cases. Several NHS trusts declared critical incidents due to “exceptionally high demands” in emergency departments.

• Hundreds of schools were closed across the UK on Tuesday, with road and rail links blocked. Manchester, Bristol and Liverpool John Lennon airports were forced to suspend flights because of the conditions.

• The RAC said Monday was the busiest day for breakdowns this winter. Rod Dennis, RAC spokesperson said: “Anyone unfortunate enough to break down should expect a longer wait than normal this week. It’s therefore more important than ever that drivers ensure they have an emergency breakdown kit in the boot.”