Snow warning as UK shivers in sub-zero temperatures

Met office forecasts up to four inches of snow

A snow warning has been issued this weekend as the country shivers in -11°C.

A band of rain, sleet and snow will push south eastwards through Saturday bringing accumulations of up to 10cm (four inches) in places like East Anglia and London¸ the Met Office told Yahoo! News.

A yellow warning for ice and snow comes as temperatures plummeted during the week. The coldest temperature of the year so far was recorded on Thursday night in Sennybridge, Powys, in Wales where the mercury plunged to -11.3°C.

Benson in Oxfordshire got down to -10.8°C while Braemar in Scotland saw lows of -10.9°C.


                                                               [In pictures:What sub-zero looks like in Europe]


The low temperatures have led forecasters to issue a ’Level 3’ alert, with charities urging people to look out for the welfare of elderly neighbours.

The cold weather is having a devastating effect in northern Europe where temperatures have fallen as low as -23C, claiming the lives of more than 200 people.

The snow, caused by a weather front sweeping in from the Atlantic meeting the cold air from northern Europe, is expected to cause travel chaos during Saturday.

Forecasters are warning that those venturing out in icy and snowy conditions should keep a close eye on the forecast.

During the rest of Friday, most places will stay sunny and cold, while a few showers will be isolated to coastlines of Norfolk and Kent.

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There will be no respite for the bitterly cold temperatures either as the mercury struggles to get above freezing in the day and above -6°C at night for most of the country, the Met Office warns.

Speaking with Yahoo! News, the Met Office's Helen Chivers said icy conditions are set to last through next week too: “There will be an east/west split. In the east, it will remain dry and cold with severe overnight frosts. In the west, Atlantic air will bring cloudier conditions with rain and hill snow. However, temperatures will stay around 4-5 °C.”

The current conditions are a stark comparison to this month last year which was the ninth mildest February in 100 years.