CHILLING temperatures, carried by a new cold front, could bring the worst travel chaos on UK roads since the Beast of the East.
The met office has issued a warning for the whole of England and Wales from lunchtime today. With higher levels seeing up to four inches of snow and one inch on lower levels, there will be snowfall until tomorrow lunchtime including overnight frost. A combination of sub-zero temperatures and gale-force winds may combine with the snowfall to create chaotic travel conditions.
The cold front, coming from the Arctic, could leave remote villages stranded as the bone-chilling air hits the UK.
Snow and ice warnings have been issued for England and Wales by the Met Office.
These warnings run from midday today until 11am on Wednesday, and in western Scotland, from 1am until 12pm today.
Commenting on the weather outlook for today, Met Office meteorologist Alex Deakin said: “It is going to be a cold day wherever you are and if you are beneath the cold front it will feel a lot colder than that.”
Air coming from the North Pole is set to bring the most low-level snow of winter so far.
The Met Office forecast shows an average of -10.8C for most nights this week.
Scotland will see the coldest nighttime temperatures and England will see temperatures plummet to -6C.
Met Office meteorologist Alex Deakin warns of travel disruption on Tuesday with “snow coming down to relatively low levels that will hit the evening rush hour”.
He added that by Wednesday in England there could be “maybe as much as 10cm of snowfall on some hills”.
There could be a risk of power cuts in the southeast, especially in rural communities.
The northeast will see freezing cold winds, reaching speeds of 70mph in coastal areas.
By Friday sleet and snow are predicted in the north as well as continued freezing temperatures across England and Wales.
