UK weather news – latest: Coldest night brings heavy snow as thousands still without electricity
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Temperatures dropped to as low as -10C last night following forecasts of the “coldest night of the season” for parts of the UK bringing snow and leaving some without power as Storm Arwen continued to batter the UK.
The Met Office has issued yellow warnings of severe ice across large swathes of England including Newcastle, Manchester, London and Cardiff following freezing temperatures through the night.
North West Motorway Police said 120 lorries became “stuck in the snow” on the M62.
Northern Powergrid, which supplies energy to the northeast, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire, said 240,000 customers lost service but on Sunday supply had been restored to 200,000.
Electricity North West, which provides energy for an area between the Scottish border and Stockport, said 67,000 of 83,000 customers who lost power had seen their supply restored.
Heavy snow led to lorries getting stuck and ploughs being used in a number of areas, with pub staff and Oasis tribute band Noasis stranded since Friday in the Tan Hill Inn in the Yorkshire Dales as a result of heavy snowfall.
‘Arctic shot’ behind plunging temperatures
Britons experienced the “coldest night of the season” last night with temperatures as low as -10C in some parts of the UK as a result of an “Arctic shot” hitting the nation.
Met Office forecaster Tom Morgan said: “As Storm Arwen is clearing out to Europe, a cold northerly flow of wind has been left behind in the UK, causing some of the bitterly cold temperatures we’ve seen.
“There is set to be further wintry weather on Sunday, with snow expected to fall across areas in Scotland and northern England, and even in parts of southern and central England.”
Mr Morgan described the cold blast as an “arctic shot”, adding: “Parts of Scotland and northern England, where snow is on the ground, will be very cold again tonight, with the temperature certainly falling below zero and even as low as -10C, which would make it the coldest night of the season so far.
Our reporter Grace Almond has the full story below:
Temperatures could plunge below zero as ‘Arctic shot’ batters UK
Overnight, many parts of country felt chill
Gritters hit the streets amid yellow ice warning
Gritters across the UK have taken to roads and pavements hit by ice as temperatures went below freezing last night
Gritters in Sheffield were out this morning where temperatures are still below zero.
Watch: Customers snowed in for third night in a row at Britain’s highest pub
Harry Kane extends lovely gesture to fans who travelled 4,000 miles for match cancelled by snow
A pair of Tottenham fans who travelled 31 hours from Dallas, Texas to watch Spurs take on Burnley were left disappointed after the game was abandoned due to snow.
“Dallas to London to Burnley (almost there) 31 hours - no sleep - fueled by coffee, cheese crackers and more coffee. Frigid temps and snow predicted for match day. The things we do when you love your club,” the fan wrote on Twitter.
However, after the match was cancelled, Tottenham captain Harry Kane responded to the pair offering them tickets to the next home match as his guest.
Coldest night of the season so far as temperatures plunge to minus 8.7C
Parts of the UK had the coldest night of autumn so far with temperatures plummeting to below zero.
The Met Office said Shap in Cumbria north-west England recorded the lowest temperature of the season so far with minus 8.7C (16.34F). Bridlington in East Yorkshire meanwhile, recorded high levels of rainfall, with 14.6mm of rain overnight on Sunday. Met Office spokesman Oli Claydon said that the second coldest night of the season had been on Saturday night.
Our reporter Isobel Frodsham has the full story below:
Coldest night of the season so far as temperatures plunge to minus 8.7C
The Met Office said Shap in Cumbria recorded the lowest temperature of the season so far.
Cold weather ‘worst in 45 years’ say Britons still without power
Households in Longhorsley, Northumberland, suffered a blackout on Friday night at around 8pm and are still waiting for power to be restored. The situation has left elderly and vulnerable people battling the elements just to keep warm.
Harry Foster, 83, lives on his own and has breathing difficulties in the cold weather and said the conditions are the worst he has seen in 45 years. He has been using a camper van at the end of his drive to stay warm.
The retired teacher said: “It’s been three days now since we’ve had any power. I’m living in the van right now so I hope I’m okay for gas inside it. I do have a wood burner in the house and I’ve been keeping myself going.
“I’ve been running around trying to get logs which is tiring. My phone won’t work because there’s no signal and the phone in the house won’t work because there’s no power.
Additional reporting by PA
18 schools in Northumberland closed due to Storm Arwen damage
Eighteen schools in Northumberland are closed today due to being left without water, heating or phone lines. Thousands of homes are still without power as electricity lines are disrupted from damage.
The A66 is closed both ways from A686 Carleton Avenue (Kemplay Bank Roundabout) to A1(M) J53 (Scotch Corner). The Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for ice which is in place until 10am on Monday.
No trains will run between Newcastle and Edinburgh today.
National Rail said: “Following severe weather over the weekend, there are currently no trains running between Newcastle and Edinburgh.
“This section of the East Coast Main Line is currently closed and customers are advised not to travel on this part of the route.
“Network Rail is continually checking the line but there is yet a confirmed estimate as to when the line will reopen. Disruption is likely to continue throughout today.”
No trains between Newcastle and Edinburgh today
Damage caused by Storm Arwen through the weekend has led to widespread travel disruption this morning. Network Rail has confirmed that there is no service between Newcastle and Edinburgh today.
Trains were also unable to run between Skipton and Carlisle due to the severe conditions.
Snow forecasted for another two weeks
Snow across the UK is forecasted for another two weeks as the Arctic blast sweeping the nation continues plunge temperatures below freezing.
The Met Office also warned of a risk of "wintry showers and icy stretches". It added that over the next two weeks snow is possible at low-levels across northern England and Scotland for a time, before turning to rain away from high ground. Further south snow is likely confined to high ground.
Storm Arwen damage could result in £250 million bill, says insurance expert
The repair bill from Storm Arwen could cost insurers more than £250 million, according to an expert.
Swathes of the UK have been hit by strong winds, sleet and snow.
Mohammad Khan, general insurance leader at PwC UK, said on Monday: “Insurance companies have been fielding a high volume of calls over the weekend and today on Storm Arwen.
“Most of the calls have been in relation to home and car damage - predominantly home, however, as is usual with a major storm; the claims from businesses take longer to be reported and to assess.
“Based on the breadth of Storm Arwen and the damage seen so far, we estimate the insurance losses could be between £250 million to £300 million.
“Storm Ciara and Storm Dennis last year both had high wind speed but also featured significant flood losses as well.”
Mr Khan added: “The majority of claims from storms like Arwen are damaged roofs, damaged outbuildings and damage caused by fallen trees and fences, as well as business losses due to loss of power, so we tend to see a lot of claims but not very many high-value claims.”
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