UK weather forecast – Britain wakes up to freezing fog as temperatures plunge below zero with MORE snow on the way
BRITS woke up to freezing fog this morning as temperatures plunged below zero overnight.
Runners were pictured enduring the ice-cold temperatures this morning while commuters were stalled in back-to-back traffic due to the heavy fog.
Cyclists could barely be seen as they moved through central London while landmarks such as Tower Bridge and Westminster were hidden in dense fog.
Essex Fire and Rescue Service were called to Skye Hall Hill in Boxted yesterday afternoon by panic-stricken people who saw the pensioner trapped in her car after she drove into deep floodwater.
She was the latest victim of the bad weather which has seen snow and ice mayhem capped this morning by vast swathes of freezing fog.
Meanwhile police in the Thames Valley pleaded with drivers to slow down this morning after freezing fog hit the M4 and other major roads.
They said visibility was less than 90 yards in many places and the fog was getting thicker.
“Please slow down and take heed of the conditions” said a spokesman.
According to forecaster Meteogroup, snow could also follow heavy rain in higher ground in Scotland and Northern Ireland this evening.
The icy temperatures mean that parts of the UK will be chillier than -2C Helsinki.
It comes as a -3C plunge turns Britain colder than Finland, with Brits set for the coldest Winter in ten years.
Further snow is expected to fall on Tuesday on the North-East’s higher ground, with chilly 5-7C days for most this week and -3C today in Scotland.
The Met Office predicted temperatures will be frequently colder-than-average through December – while snow also threatens the Christmas period.
A plunge in temperatures means that this December could be the coldest since 2010’s ‘Big Freeze’.
The UK’s average December temperature is 3.8C, and many recent Decembers have been mild.
A whopping 25,000 breakdowns are expected tomorrow across all UK providers, data trends show.
RAC spokesman Simon Williams warned: “Slow down in difficult conditions.”
The South-East, Midlands and the North and Scotland all saw snow into the weekend, with Cumbria and the Pennines particularly hard-hit.
Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill said snow had come “early” this year.
He told the Express: “The snowiest months are usually a bit later into winter, January and February and also it’s very early in December at the moment.”
The outlook for the South of England and Wales tomorrow is brighter, with clear spells and foggy patches expected, forecaster Meteogroup says.
Scotland, meanwhile, saw temperatures fall to -9.6C yesterday at Altnaharra, Sutherland, in the Highlands.
Met Office forecaster Marco Petagna said: “Winter hazards are dominating the weather as the emphasis changes from snow to frost and ice.
“The UK will stay in cold air north of the jet stream.”
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Another Met Office forecaster added: “December 10-19 has temperatures likely to begin below average, trend to average then could turn colder again.
“December 20 to January 3 has temperatures likely at or below-average, though some milder interludes are possible. Hill snow is possible, and showers could perhaps be wintry at lower levels.”
Leon Brown, head of meteorological operations at The Weather Company’s Weather Channel arm, said: “Arctic incursions mean December could well be the coldest for a number of years.