Rare ‘danger to life’ amber alerts issued by Met Office as -11C snow bomb hits UK

The UK is being battered by an Arctic blast as seven severe weather warnings remain in place, with rare amber alerts for snow and ice issued in parts of the country

The Met Office has issued a total of seven amber weather warnings for snow and ice across the UK. Some 44 yellow warnings have also been enforced with many set to remain in place until Monday (January 5).

A blast of Arctic air has sent temperatures plummeting across much of the UK, with a bone-chilling -11C set to hit Wales. Heavy snowfall has already blanketed parts of Scotland, where up to 40cm is expected, while England and Wales could see around 5cm to 10cm.

The Met Office has warned that areas under the amber alerts could see winds potentially causing blizzards. The snow has already caused significant disruption to roads and railways in the north of the UK, and there’s a risk of power cuts, isolated communities, and stranded vehicles, the Met Office warns.

Meanwhile, yellow warnings for snow and ice are in place for regions of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Almost all of Scotland will continue to be under a yellow snow and ice warning until 12pm on Monday, along with all of Northern Ireland.

Much of Wales will be under a yellow ice warning over the weekend, while both the south west and east coast of England could experience heavy snow showers in the coming days.

Daytime temperatures are set to linger in the low single digits for much of the country, with sub-zero conditions expected in parts of northern Scotland. In anticipation of the chilly spell, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued amber cold health alerts across all of England, which will remain in effect until 8am on January 9.

These alerts caution of a ‘rise in deaths’ as the cold weather is ‘likely’ to significantly impact health and social care services.

Met Office chief meteorologist Rebekah Hicks stated: “Arctic air and brisk northerly winds are gripping the UK as we start the new year. Snow and ice warnings remain in force for many areas, with the risk of heavy snow showers, especially across northern Scotland and over higher ground elsewhere, though many inland areas will stay largely sunny and clear.”

She added: “Bitterly cold conditions will persist through the weekend and into next week, with daytime temperatures struggling to rise above freezing for some, and overnight lows dipping to minus double figures in places.”

Regions and local authorities affected by amber warning

Central, Tayside & Fife

Grampian

• Aberdeen
• Aberdeenshire
• Moray

Highlands & Eilean Siar

Orkney & Shetland

• Orkney Islands
• Shetland Islands

Regions and local authorities affected by yellow weather warning

East Midlands

North West England

• Blackburn with Darwen
• Blackpool
• Cheshire East
• Cheshire West and Chester
• Greater Manchester
• Halton
• Lancashire
• Merseyside
• Warrington

South West England

• Cornwall
• Devon
• North Somerset
• Plymouth
• Somerset
• Torbay

Wales

• Blaenau Gwent
• Bridgend
• Caerphilly
• Cardiff
• Carmarthenshire
• Ceredigion
• Conwy
• Denbighshire
• Flintshire
• Gwynedd
• Merthyr Tydfil
• Monmouthshire
• Neath Port Talbot
• Newport
• Pembrokeshire
• Powys
• Rhondda Cynon Taf
• Swansea
• Torfaen
• Vale of Glamorgan
• Wrexham

West Midlands

• Herefordshire
• Shropshire
• Staffordshire
• Stoke-on-Trent
• Telford and Wrekin
• West Midlands Conurbation
• Worcestershire