UK weather forecast LIVE – Temperatures to reach balmy 17C by next weekend as the UK’s record-breaking Big Freeze ends
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TEMPERATURES could rise as high as 17C by next weekend as the UK's record-breaking Big Freeze - thankfully - comes to an end.
In a sudden switch from snow and sub-zero temperatures during Beast from the East Two, following Storm Darcy, the mercury will soar back up to double digits from Monday.
That'll bring much-needed relief for locked-down Brits.
All of the UK will be basking in a "warmer air mass, with daytime temperatures reaching 11-12C in the south, replacing days which never got above freezing the week before," says Met Office chief meteorologist Neil Armstrong.
And by next Sunday the mercury could soar as high as 17C with forecasters expecting temperatures “way above average for this time of year.”
Chris Fawkes from BBC Weather said: "We’re starting to draw up more of a southerly flow of wind and that will start to drag up some of the warmer air from north Africa and Spain, which will push across westerly Europe and across parts of the United Kingdom."
Follow our weather live blog below for the latest news and updates from around the country
MILD MONDAY
Freezing rain, treacherous ice and 80mph gusts will mark the end of the UK's cold snap - with milder weather forecast from Monday.
Strong winds are expected to hit parts of western Scotland and Northern Ireland's east coast between 4am and midnight on Sunday, the Met Office said.
A yellow weather warning for ice is also in place for most of Scotland, northern England and the Midlands until 9pm.
Freezing rain and "treacherous ice" is expected to occur in those areas, leading to possible disruption, the warning said.
Met Office forecaster Luke Miall said Sunday will not be "particularly pleasant" for most people, with winds reaching up to 40mph inland across England.
VALENTINES DAY IS WET, COLD, AND WINDY
The annual celebration of love will have a bit of a dampner to it - as rain sweeps across the UK.
The cold-hearted will be glad to know there is even a chance of freezing rain and ice in the northeast, as milder air begins to arrive from the West.
HEAVY SNOW FORECAST ACROSS EUROPE
Heavy snow has been forecast across parts of Europe as a wind-chill descends over the continent.
BBC Weather's Nick Miller said, "While many parts of Europe have been turning drier if not colder, it is the turn of Greece to see some snow.
"That will come from an area of low pressure which is also bringing about snow in Turkey, "Miller said, explaining weather systems drifting in from the Atlantic towards the UK will introduce much cooler air into Western Europe in the coming days.
"There is a lot of dry weather about but it is feeling cold. That cold air will hang on for several days to come, wind-chill will be a factor," he continued.
"There will be a few showers towards the east of Spain and a band of wet weather across the United Kingdom introduces much cooler air behind it. There is a little bit of wet weather pushing across Germany, Denmark and Norway."
CHECK ON VULNERABLE
Public Health England urged people to check on vulnerable relatives and neighbours as they extended their cold weather alert this weekend.
The continuation of sub-zero temperatures and severe weather warnings of snow have resulted in elderly people told to stay home rather than get their coronavirus jab.
They have been assured the jab is not a "one off opportunity" and to not put themselves at risk.
"Rather than battling the elements and putting health at risk, it would be better to call your GP to see what the alternative vaccination arrangements are being made locally," said Caroline Abrahams, the Director of Age UK.
COLD SNAP COMES TO AN END
Freezing rain, 80mph winds and dangerous ice will control the UK as the country's cold snap comes to an end, according to the Met Office.
Temperatures could plummet between -5C and -8C in northern Britain, creating travel chaos as roads and paths could become impassable.
Large waves will be seen in western Scotland and Northern Ireland after strong winds, potentially causing travel disruption.
Milder air from the west will push away the recent cold air from the east by Monday, seeing a rise in temperatures as high as 13C.
Today will not be ";particularly pleasant" the Met Office have warned.
Forecaster Luke Miall said, "It's going to be a bitterly cold day. Certainly where you've got freezing rain and ice, combined with those strong winds."
Most of Scotland, northern England and the Midlands have a yellow weather warning for ice in place until 9pm tonight.
There are warnings for wind in coastal areas such as Scotland and Northern Ireland's east coast, which will be in place between 4am and midnight tonight.
TODAYS FORECAST
Cloudy in most areas, feeling raw in extremely strong southeasterly winds.
Rain and snow patchy across northern area, with the possibility of very icy surfaces. Rain becomes heavier later on before becoming milder across Northern Ireland and the far west.
Tonight, the rain returns and is heavy for some. Scattered heavy showers in the west are followed by broken clouds, making it much milder for most but still frosty in the northeast.
COLDEST TEMPERATURES IN 65 YEARS RECORDED
The coldest temperature in 65 YEARS was recorded on Wednesday night in Braemar, Aberdeenshire when the mercury dropped to -23C.
The "extreme freeze" was the coldest temp coldest recorded in the UK since 30 December 1995 and the first time in a decade the mercury has dropped below -20C.
Weather warnings were put in place for the majority of Scotland, which has seen huge snowfall this week as well as parts of Wales, Northern Ireland, and northern England.
APPLE PAY JOINS FORCES WITH BITPAY
Apple Pay has announced its support for Bitcoin and crypto payments by joining forces with a bitcoin payment processor.
BitPay Mastercard holders can now add their crypto-funded cards as a mode of payment on their Apple Pay wallet.
Bitpay Mastercard had said Google and Samsung were next, according to reports from Crypto Briefing.
The move follows a recent RBC Capital Market report, which has found Apple can significantly increase its earnings by supporting crypto payments.
ONE MORE DAY OF FREEZING COLD WEATHER AS MERCURY TO ROCKET TO 12C ON MONDAY
BRITS are braced for one more bone-chilling day of the cold-snap after temperatures plunged so low the sea froze.
Freezing rain, treacherous ice and 80mph gusts will mark the end of the UK's cold snap today — before temperatures rocket on Monday to 12C.
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Storm Darcy - dubbed the Beast from the East II - has been causing chaos across Britain, bringing howling blizzards from Russia to the UK.
TEMPERATURES TO ROCKET TO 13C NEXT WEEK
A Met Office spokesperson confirmed to The Sun Online that temperatures will rocket to 13C in London and Bristol on Monday following the cold snap.
And on Tuesday, Manchester and the North West will also see 12C temperatures after an icy blast this weekend.
'TREACHEROUS ICE' WARNINGS FOR SUNDAY
Tomorrow, the Met Office has issued two separate warnings for wind and ice.
The wind warning, which covers the North East coast of Northern Ireland and the North West coast of Scotland, warns that "large waves" are likely as a result of strong gales.
Gusts could reach 75mph in affected areas, with ferry services at risk of cancellation.
SNOW AND FREEZING RAIN TO HIT ON VALENTINES DAY
BRITS will be hit by snow, freezing rain and 60mph winds on Valentine's Day before temperatures shoot back up to 12C next week.
The cold snap will finally come to an end next week after Brits woke up to freezing temperatures again this morning.
SUNDAY WILL BE 'LAST OF THE VERY COLD DAYS' - MET OFFICE
RISK OF FLOODING IN SCOTLAND
The risk of flooding and waves overtopping coastal defences sparked a series of flood warnings last night from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.
SEPA say a combination of today’s storm and very high tides will create dangerous sea conditions from Dumfries and Galloway all the way up to the Northern Isles.
The warnings include the Vatersay Causeway link to Barra, the port of Stornoway and the Churchill Barriers on Orkney.
ICE, FREEZING RAIN AND 80MPH WINDS FORECAST AS UK'S COLD SNAP COMES TO AN END
Freezing rain, treacherous ice and 80mph gusts will mark the end of the UK's cold snap - with milder weather forecast from Monday.
Strong winds are expected to hit parts of western Scotland and Northern Ireland's east coast between 4am and midnight on Sunday, the Met Office said.
A yellow weather warning for ice is also in place for most of Scotland, northern England and the Midlands until 9pm.
Freezing rain and "treacherous ice" is expected to occur in those areas, leading to possible disruption, the warning said.
Met Office forecaster Luke Miall said Sunday will not be "particularly pleasant" for most people, with winds reaching up to 40mph inland across England, adding: "It's going to be a bitterly cold day. Certainly where you've got freezing rain and ice, combined with those strong winds."
COLDEST UK TEMPERATURE IN 65 YEARS RECORDED AT -23C
The coldest UK temperature for 65 years was recorded at Braemar in Aberdeenshire on Wednesday night, when the mercury dropped down to minus 23C.
A record low temperature for February was also recorded in England and Wales when temperatures in Ravensworth, North Yorkshire, dropped to minus 15.3C overnight on Thursday.
The chilly conditions have frozen Trafalgar Square's fountains and brought large amounts of snowfall to regions across the country.
Parts of the Thames also froze over in the south of the capital, with the RNLI sharing an image of the ice in Teddington.
Public Health England (PHE) has extended its cold weather alert through the weekend and has urged people to check on vulnerable relatives and neighbours.
MILDER CONDITIONS ON THE WAY AFTER WINTRY WEEKEND
Milder conditions are on the way after a week of record-breaking cold, according to the Met Office.
Wintry weather will still be around for the weekend, but temperatures will begin to rise towards double figures into next week, forecasters have predicted.
Yellow weather warnings for snow and ice are in place across most of Scotland and parts of northern England and Wales on Saturday, and again on Sunday, as well as eastern parts of Northern Ireland.
Blizzards are forecast to sweep across Northern Ireland on Saturday, with wind speeds reaching 40mph in coastal areas.
Met Office forecaster Luke Miall said: "Blizzard conditions will really significantly reduce visibility when driving. We have gusts in the region of 35mph to 40mph on the coast and nearly 30mph inland."
RUSH TO REMOVE 'DANGEROUS' ICICLES
Transport officials are rushing to remove “dangerous” icicles that could fall on motorists and pedestrians.
Large icicles have forced Suffolk locals to close a bridge, which is part of a busy route.
Icicles are hanging across the entire length of Sturmer Road Bridge in Essex as well as on Hopton Tunnel on the High Peak Trail in Derbyshire, reports the .
FELT AS COLD AS -8 IN SOME PLACES TODAY
It may have been between -1 and 2 for most of the country today, for many it felt a lot colder.
In some places it felt as chilly as -8 due to freezing Southeasterly winds.
VALENTINES DAY FREEZE
For the Anti-Valentines among you, this February 14th could be perfect for you as it's going to be a freezing one for those smug lovebirds.
Freezing rain, 60mph winds and snow are set to hit on the day of love.
The cold snap will finally come to an end next week after Brits woke up to freezing temperatures again this morning.
YELLOW WARNINGS IN PLACE TONIGHT
SOUTHEASTERLY WIND MAKING IT FEEL EVEN COLDER
It's been a chilly one today thanks to the strong southeasterly wind is making it feel even colder.
