UK weather: Snow showers and strong winds expected to bring travel chaos as 'beast from the East' blows in

Commuters have been warned of travel chaos on the way, as the UK’s ‘beast from the East’ cold front combines with nationwide snow showers.

Renewed weather warnings for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday all predict snow showers making their way from east to west, while the overall chances of snow is “pretty certain”, a Met Office meteorologist said.  

The AA revealed that it is “mobilising extra resources” to cope with motorists’ breakdowns in the snow, and warned drivers not to drive unless they had to.

The breakdown provider said it anticipated an increase in demand over the next week, and had readied its fleet of 4x4 vehicles to pull other cars out of the snow.

Although the rest of the weekend is expected to be mild, it is likely that snow could begin in the East and across London on Sunday night, wreaking havoc on Monday morning’s commute.

Strong winds will also likely cause snow to drift, a Met Office Chief Forecaster said, creating additional travel hazards for vehicles to dodge.

Temperatures next week will depend on snow coverage, but some parts of the UK could receive as much as 10cm by Monday night, with more than 20cm accumulating in the East by Wednesday.

The snow comes alongside a cold front, dubbed the ‘beast from the East’, that has brought temperatures down as low as minus 7C (19F) in recent days.

Freezing temperatures could last well into next month, being “renewed” next weekend and continuing into next week.

On Friday, experts said that spring had been effectively “postponed for a couple of weeks”, after the cold front is expected to give Britain the coldest start to the new meteorological season in five years.

Public Health England has issued a health warning, urging the public to look out for elderly friends and relatives.

“As forecasters tell us next week temperatures will fall, it’s critical that if you know anyone over 65, with young children or who has heart or lung conditions, that you keep an eye on them and think what help they may need,” said Dr Thomas Waite, of PHE’s Extreme Events team.

“Staying warm by heating your home to at least 18°C can be crucial to stay well.”