UK weather forecast: 'Risk to life' snow warning issued as temperatures hit -14C

‘There’s the potential for situations to become dramatic quite quickly,’ forecasters warn

A severe weather alert warning of a risk to life has been issued as forecasters warned heavy snow would spread to more parts of Britain.

The Met Office has an amber warning for snow in place across the southwest and south Wales for 2pm to 9pm on Thursday as up to 10cm is predicted to fall in some places.

It follows the coldest temperatures so far this winter, with the mercury dropping to -14.4C in Braemar, Aberdeenshire, on Thursday morning.

It is the lowest recorded in the UK for seven years since temperatures fell to -15.6C in Holbeach, Lincolnshire, in 2012.

The lowest ever recorded in the UK was -27.2C, again in Braemar, on 10 January 1982, and in Altnaharra, Scotland, on 30 December 1995.

Forecasters have warned a band of rain will arrive on Thursday afternoon, quickly turning to snow and becoming heavy at times.

Between 3cm to 7cm of snow will accumulate within two to three hours, and up to 10cm in some areas.

The Met Office has warned travel delays are likely on roads and could cause some vehicles to become stranded, while there is likely to be delays to rail services.

Highways England has urged motorists to “take care when driving” and advised the key routes affected include the A30, the A38 and the M5.

Met Office spokesperson Grahame Medge warned motorists could be putting their lives at risk if they found themselves stranded and unprepared – and told them to only travel if absolutely necessary.

“If people don’t heed the warning and put themselves at risk then there’s the potential for situations to become dramatic quite quickly,” he told The Independent.

“For example, if someone set off on a journey and their car got stuck and they were in their car for a long time and weren’t prepared, it could become a risk to life.

“We are warning people to be ready for that situation; try to plan ahead and make sure you have a hot drink, warm clothing and a phone with battery.”

The AA advises motorists to keep a blanket, shovel, de-icer and torch in their cars during the winter months.

In the event of severe weather, the AA also recommends carrying winter clothing, such as a hat, scarf and gloves, sturdy footwear and a flask of hot drink.

Areas which will be most affected by the amber warning in England are Hampshire, Bath, Bournemouth, Bristol, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire.

A dog walker walks through the snow past Mow Cop Folly, on the border of Cheshire and Staffordshire today (Reuters)

(Reuters/Carl Recine)

In Wales, the warning is for Blanenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Neath Port Talbot, Newport, Powys, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Torfaen and the Vale of Glamorgan.

Mr Medge said temperatures would continue to be cold overnight on Thursday, through to the early part of next week.

“It will be down to freezing and below quite widely across England with grass and air frost on Thursday night, and sub-zero temperatures quite widely across Scotland,” he said.

“When we get snow that tends to warm the temperatures a bit so temperatures on Friday will be in low single figures for a large part of the UK.

“This weekend is expected to remain reasonably cold and snow is expected on Sunday.

“Monday is looking to be drier but remaining cold into the early part of next week.”

Southeastern trains said 21 trains were being cancelled or altered on Thursday morning to minimise the impact of ice forming on the rails and to ensure lines were clear.

Transport for Wales warned snowfall could cause short-notice delays and alterations on its services on Thursday and Friday while the alert is in place.

There are already changes to services in place on the Heart of Wales line and Cambrian line.

Bristol airport said it was running as normal on Thursday morning, but advised customers to allow extra time for travelling to the airport and to keep up to date with weather and travel updates.

Manchester and Liverpool airports were brought to a standstill on Wednesday morning, although a full service had resumed at Liverpool by 2pm and one runway was also opened at Manchester by midday.

Several schools in the cities were also forced to close their doors because of the harsh conditions.

Councils have prepared for heavy snowfall, with more than 1.4 million tons of salt stockpiled, the Local Government Association said.