More snow on the way for frozen Britain
More snow on the way for frozen Britain
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Monday, 08, Feb 2010 07:31
By Sarah Garrod.
The UK is set to experience extreme winter weather once again this week, meteorologists have forecast, with snowfall hitting London and the south-east today.
As snow in the US causes chaos along parts of the east coast, including the capital Washington, Britain is being told to brace itself for more snow over the next few days.
Temperatures are expected to plunge below zero, but the weather is not forecast to be as severe as the 'Big Freeze' experienced in early January.
Gemma Plumb, from MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said: "It will feel a lot colder than it is at the moment this week.
"There is a cold wind coming from the north, which will make conditions seem much chillier. At the moment it looks like the greatest risk of snow is in the east."
The Met Office said this Thursday and Friday snow showers may be frequent, heavy and prolonged at times in the capital and south-east England, adding that 15cm of snow was possible locally over higher ground.
The BBC's forecast for today is: "Brighter with scattered showers, some wintry, across northern and central areas.
"Mainly dry in the west. Cloudy with some light rain or sleet in southern parts, with snow likely over hills, and a cold northeasterly wind."
While Councillor David Sparks, chairman of the Local Government Association Transport and Regeneration Board, said gritters would be out on the roads to keep Britain moving: "Councils will continue to work tirelessly to keep roads clear, people safe and essential services working.
"Despite forecasts of a mild winter, many councils stockpiled more salt this year but after the longest cold snap in 30 years, systems are stretched but are holding up. With more snow forecast for some parts of the UK everyone, including central government and the Highways Agency, is going to have to carefully manage the way they use salt.
"Although in some areas, last month's snow and freezing weather went away, councils in many places have had to continue to grit the roads. Councils have been working hard to replenish their salt stocks with some authorities importing salt from abroad, but they can only restock as fast as salt suppliers can dig salt out of the ground."
In parts of the US, transport systems were ground to a standstill over the weekend as icy conditions made travel treacherous following 'historic snow storms'. Many homes were without power and a number of accidents were blamed on the severe weather.
The National Weather Service in the US said today that the "historic snowstorm" has now ended, as the snow moved offshore.