Britain battered by hurricane-force winds and THUNDERSNOW as UK is rocked by Arctic storm
BRITAIN is preparing for snow and ice across the country tomorrow with the elderly and vulnerable urged to stay indoors to avoid dangerous weather conditions.
The Met Office are warning of freezing cold air, hurricane-force winds and even THUNDERSNOW with several severe weather warnings in place for Thursday.
It comes as there was travel chaos across Britain, with the Forth Road Bridge closed.
Tonight will see a massive plunge in temperatures with lows of -10C (14F) forecast and an ‘alert and readiness' cold weather warning is in place from Wednesday until Sunday morning.
It warns of an “80 per cent probability of severe cold weather, icy conditions and heavy snow” in parts of England.
It states: “From Wednesday onwards the weather will become increasingly cold, with snow showers arriving, leading to severe cold weather and a risk of icy conditions.
“These snow showers, initially affecting northern England, where some will be prolonged and heavy, will reach more southern areas later this week.
“This weather could increase the health risks to vulnerable patients and disrupt the delivery of services.”
Chief Meteorologist Paul Gundersen said: "Wintry showers are also likely to affect many areas, most likely falling as snow over higher ground but occasionally also to low ground, especially where showers occur inland overnight.
";On Thursday a band of rain spreading from the west across southern parts is likely to turn wintry during the afternoon, with the potential for heavy snow in places.
"As this clears through the evening, with clear skies there is a risk of a widespread frost and icy conditions quickly forming."
RELATED STORIES
Chief forecaster Dan Suri added: “Snow showers are expected to develop from Wednesday evening lasting into Thursday.
";These, combined with strong winds, could lead to locally very poor travel conditions.
“Be aware of the potential for disruption to transport due to lying and blowing snow.
“Wind gusts up to 55 mph are expected in exposed coastal areas and on hills in association with snow showers, leading to temporary blizzard conditions.
“Two to five centimetres of snow could accumulate anywhere within the warning area with 10 to 20 centimetres possible above 300 metres.
“Lightning may accompany the heaviest showers, with potential disruption to power supplies as a consequence.”
James Madden, forecaster for Exacta Weather also said: “The first belt of snow is likely to hit northern and western parts of the country from Wednesday evening and during the early hours of Thursday.
“This will spread to parts of The Midlands and central and southern England later; anywhere in the country could see snow.
“This could be the start of prolonged cold and widespread wintry weather.”
The freak phenomenon of thundersnow, where heavy rain usually associated with thunderstorms falls as snow, is also set to hit the UK.
Met Office meteorologist Emma Sharples revealed: "It is possible, all that really needs is for thunder to happen at the same time as the snow.
"So where you get very active or vigorous showers - which is what we are going to see - then we could well get some thunder as well. It is definitely possible."
Public Health England are also urging people to take action and to keep themselves warm over the coming cold snap.
The Office for National Statistics said last year brought around 15 per cent more deaths between December and March.
Director for health protection Professor Paul Cosford said: "Think now about what you need to do to prepare: if you need vital medicine or food get it before the bad weather arrives.
"People with underlying health conditions, very young children and those aged over 65 are at greatest risk, so think what you can do to help others."
Malcolm Booth, chief executive of the National Federation of Occupational Pensioners, added: “Winter deaths shouldn’t be a headline again this year so it is important we all play our part by helping to reduce them by checking on relatives, friends and neighbours to make sure that they can keep warm and have food.
“Cold snaps, especially following periods of mild weather, can often catch out the elderly and vulnerable and it’s even more important that we check.”
Officials say to expect disruption to transport systems with hazardous driving conditions sparked by freezing gales from Arctic Canada.
The Ministry of Defence last night said troops are ready to support communities hit by bad weather, with a spokesman confirming: “Our Armed Forces are committed and professional and are ready should they be needed to support local authorities in responding to adverse weather in our communities.”
RAC spokesman Rod Dennis added: “Even a small amount of snowfall has the potential to cause major disruption for motorists.
“Commuters and those drivers planning longer journeys this week must heed the weather warnings and be prepared for tricky driving conditions and significantly extended journey times.”
Electricity distributors have also warned of impending disruption, with power cuts a possibility.
SP Energy Networks reminded the public to keep a battery-powered torch at hand and mobile phones charged just in case.
SP Energy Networks director Guy Jefferson said: ''Although power cuts are rare events for most people, it makes sense to be prepared just in case.
''If there is a power outage, our team of engineers are on hand to fix faults and get people's power supply back as soon as possible.
''Our customer service team also work around the clock to keep residents informed, provide advice and take reports of power loss - the quicker we are alerted to a power cut, the quicker we can respond.''
The alerts come after a day of travel misery across Britain, with the Forth Road Bridge forced to close and strong winds leaving homes across the country without power.
A lorry driver was charged after his vehicle was blown over in strong winds, leading to the closure of the Bridge for several hours.
A gust of 93mph was also recorded at High Bradfield in South Yorkshire, a high site, while Tiree was hit by a 77mph gust and South Uist by one of 73mph.
The strong winds caused damage across the country overnight, with power cuts reported in Scotland and north-east England.
Northern Powergrid, which supplies power to homes in the North East and Yorkshire, said it had 545 customers without power on Wednesday morning.
Newgate Street in Newcastle was closed off after part of the roof of Debenhams in the Eldon Square shopping centre was torn off by the wind.
Debris was strewn across the normally busy city centre street, with a police cordon in place at either end.
Northumbria Police said: "At 2.21am this morning we got a report that the roof of the Debenhams store in Saint Andrews Way was damaged by strong winds.
"The street was closed and cordoned off by officers as a safety precaution and expect it to be for the next few hours until it can be made safe."
A bungalow in West Yorkshire has been left with a estimated £100,000 worth of damage after strong winds caused a be large beech tree to fall through its roof.
The property is rented by Les and Maire Mairs who were woken by a loud bang during the middle of the night.
Les, 63, said: "It had gone through the whole roof. We were just lucky that the bedroom is the furthest room away from it. The tree must weight between 30 to 40 tonnes and completely destroyed the roof.
“It is going to be a massive job. The landlord believes repairs could cost £100,000."
RELATED STORIES
Europe has seen more than a dozen people die from cold weather in recent days with ten people dying in Poland on Friday after temperatures plummeted to -20C (-4F) on Saturday.
A man died on Saturday in Belgium when his truck slid off a motorway and in Italy sub-freezing temperatures were blamed for the deaths of half a dozen homeless people.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368