UK snow and weather forecast: Parts of country covered in snow as Met Office warns of half a month's rain in a day
Parts of England and Wales were covered in snow this morning as temperatures plummeted overnight, as forecasters warned half a month's rain could fall in a day on already flood-hit areas.
The UK experienced its coldest autumn night of the year last night and east Gloucestershire, parts of Wiltshire and south Wales were pictured blanketed in snow on Thursday morning. Photos from Bath showed snow still falling as of 7am.
It came as the Met Office warned Lincolnshire and South Yorkshire could see as much as 35-45mm of rain in the next 12 to 24 hours.
“Some places have already seen a whole month's rain and we are only part way through the month,” meteorologist Luke Miall told the Standard.
It comes as Dalwhinnie in Scotland recorded an overnight low of -8.1C, the coldest night of autumn so far this year.
This is unexpected - down in Bath from Newcastle for a few days and the first snow of the winter I've seen is here! #notsofrozennorth pic.twitter.com/SNDO9Z30ul
— Rachel Kerr (@rachelkerr334)
“Heavy rain will continue through day today through Wales, the Midlands, south west England, as well as Lincolnshire and South Yorkshire, areas that are most sensitive at the moment because we’ve had a lot of rain,” Mr Miall said.
“Flooding is a risk especially where we’ve seen the rain already.”
Temperatures plummeted across #Scotland last night making it the coldest night of the #autumn so far!! pic.twitter.com/ZLFz9ReWS4
— Met Office (@metoffice)
A yellow weather warning for rain is in place for areas around Nottingham, Sheffield and Doncaster from 9am on Thursday, as the snow falling across the south-west moves north and turns to rain.
Up to 4cm of snow settled in higher parts of Wales overnight.
On Wednesday evening, Dartmoor was pictured blanketed in snow.
First snow of the season falls on us in Princetown #Dartmoor ❄️ pic.twitter.com/PZdPGlT1Km
— DartmoorNationalPark (@GoDartmoor)
On Thursday morning, some posted to social media of snow covering their patios and gardens.
First snow for Bath pic.twitter.com/UUr2637HBh
— James Byron (@jamesabyron)
Traffic cameras also showed snow settled on the side of roads in the lead up to rush hour in Wales.
A tricky mix of heavy rain, sleet & snow on the A470 for the commute this morning ⚠️🌧️❄️
Webcam images from @TrafficWalesS
Snow higher up at Storey Arms and Pont ar Daf in Powys.
Rain and sleet lower down in Pontypridd and Taff's Well.
Currently 0°C in Tredegar
3°C Cardiff. pic.twitter.com/UxuPYG3rVP— ᴅᴇʀᴇᴋ ʙʀᴏᴄᴋᴡᴀʏ ᴡᴇᴀᴛʜᴇʀᴍᴀɴ (@DerekTheWeather)
As of 7am, one person tweeted snow falling in Wiltshire and settling on the ground and his car.
Actual snow in Wiltshire pic.twitter.com/988vDcszlN
— Will Guyatt (@willguyatt)
Mr Miall said the snow is expected to “peter out” by 10am on Thursday as the heaviest of the rain is expected to hit between 9am and 10am and continue throughout the day.
Thirty-six flood warnings, meaning flooding is expected, remain in effect across Britain, along with 124 flood alerts, which means flooding is possible.
The Met Office warned there could be a danger to life in parts of the East Midlands and Yorkshire as more rain is forecast to fall on the already flooded region.
As several alerts for ice, rain and snow were issued across the nation, the Environment Agency (EA) echoed the warning that Britain's flooding was far from over.
Heavy persistent rain has caused #flooding across parts of northern England.
Stay away from swollen rivers and do not drive through flood water.
Keep up to date: https://t.co/NVgmGluikf#Flood #FloodAware pic.twitter.com/WcEvFiv0Wo— Environment Agency (@EnvAgency)
The EA's flood duty manager Kate Marks said in a statement: "Heavy rain is expected on Thursday, Friday and over the weekend which could lead to further flooding for communities in South Yorkshire around the Lower River Don.
"Parts of Lincolnshire and the Midlands could also be affected by rain falling on already saturated ground over Thursday and Friday, as well as other parts of England as rain crosses the country from west to east.
"It's really important that impacted communities remain vigilant and take steps to prepare for flooding by checking their flood risk regularly and making plans to stay safe."
As the wild weather continues, the Met Office has six yellow weather warnings in effect for:
Snow in parts of south Wales and south-west England between Bath, Oxford and Worcester.
Rain further to the south-east in England, including London, and in the East Midlands.
Ice, in along eastern coastal regions of Scotland, from Kelso north to Elgin.
London is in the weather warning area for rain and can expect 10-20mm on Thursday, with steady downpours for “a fair few hours”.
Well this is the first snow I have seen this year. I’m sure it won’t be the last. Take care on all the roads! Lots of wet wether and freezing conditions. Take care all! pic.twitter.com/PsvV7TfizH
— Jake Robinson (@bluebirds999)
High temperatures will remain around eight degrees, which the Met Office said is below average for this time of year.
“With the strength of the wind it will feel bitterly cold,” Mr Miall said.
The rain is expected to ease heading into the weekend with central England experiencing “better weather” by Sunday.
“Over the weekend things will turn a little drier. It’ll be mixed and cold but rain is not likely to be as heavy,” Mr Miall said.
The EA said 300 staff were working around the clock in various parts of the country, deploying pumps to disperse water through five of the worst-hit locations.
A total of 34 flood warnings, meaning flooding is expected, remain in effect across Britain, along with 75 flood alerts, which means flooding is possible.
The EA said since flooding began last Thursday, around 14,400 properties had been protected by flood defences, including 5,000 in South Yorkshire.
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Snow falls as temperatures plummet amid warnings after floods