Town facing two days of freezing or sub-zero weather as Met Office issues bleak weather timeline
Spare a thought for people in a Cotswolds town as they look at the latest Met Office weather forecast. It's a sea of 'blue' as temperatures fall below zero and stay there for the next two days.
The freezing town is Stow-on-the-Wold and it has a bone-chilling forecast for Thursday through to Saturday. It stands out among county areas as having a long run of temperatures either at zero or below.
The temperature is first forecast to hit zero at 6pm today (Thursday, January 9) and hit -4 at 2am and only getting as high as 0C from noon on Friday to 3pm. The mercury then falls again to lows of -2C from 6pm on Friday to noon on Saturday.
READ MORE: NHS in Gloucestershire introduces face mask rule after critical incident declared
There is then a forecast 1C three-hour period from 3pm to 6pm on Saturday after which more sub-zero temperatures, down to -2C, are forecast until noon on Sunday when it hits 2C.
More 0C weather is due from 6pm on Sunday to 3am on Monday in Stow when the temperature reaches 1C. By 3pm on Monday, the temperature is due to be 4C.
It comes as the UK is hit by fresh weather warnings for icy weather. Yellow weather warnings for ice have been issued for large parts of the UK on Thursday and Friday as poor weather brings travel disruption and school closures.
The majority of Wales and Northern Ireland, as well as large parts of the east of England, are covered from 4pm on Thursday until 10am on Friday. A separate warning covering south and west Wales down to Plymouth from 3am to 11am tomorrow is also in place.
As icy conditions persist, motorists are being urged to stick to major roads that are most likely to have been gritted. Car insurer RAC said it has seen the highest levels of demand for rescues in a three-day period since December 2022.
“Cold conditions will last until at least the weekend, so we urge drivers to remain vigilant of the risks posed by ice and, in some locations, snow,” said RAC breakdown spokeswoman Alice Simpson. “Black ice on rural roads can be impossible to spot, leaving very little time to react if driving at speed. Sticking to major roads that are most likely to have been gritted is strongly recommended.”
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has extended its cold weather health alert for all of England until Sunday. Amber alerts have been extended and will now run until January 12, meaning a rise in deaths is likely, the agency said.