Several areas of the U.K. are undergoing severe ailments as the snow and ice hit Scotland and the southwest of England. Forecasters issued an extreme weather warning for London as well. At least 50 flights were canceled at Heathrow—Britain’s biggest airport, last Sunday because of the icy fog. People took to social media to share snowfall pictures, videos, and the latest updates from the ground.
On Monday, four children were seen battling for their lives, when one of them was dragged from an ice-bound lake that formed due to an Arctic blast that plummeted temperatures, leading to severe weather conditions across parts of Britain.
According to the latest updates, the children stumbled into the Lake when it gave way while having fun on frosty and frigid snow near Birmingham in central England on Sunday mid-noon. Emergency services reported that the kids were said to suffer from cardiac arrest when they were salvaged and were immediately escorted to the hospital.
A yellow warning for snow and ice is already lodging in areas such as parts of Scotland, Wales, and southwest England including other parts of the U.K. Furthermore, temperatures are predicted to drop as low as -12C in northeast Scotland, which would be the lowest temperature the UK has experienced since Feb 2021.
Parts of Kent are already measuring close to 10cm of snow, particularly places which have had the heaviest bits of precipitation.
Along with that, approximately 40 people were coerced to doze in a pub for the whole night after pudgy snowfall and inadequate driving ailments forced them to leave behind their cars in an emergency.
The Bear Inn, near Burwash, East Sussex, received and greeted numerous beached drivers on Sunday night helping them to take shelter in a warm place. It equipped them with warm beverages, log fires, and beds for children to take a nap.
One of the drivers, Dr. Alexandra Loske, said: “Numerous people are snoozing on the ground tonight, but we are all glad and comfortable.”
She further enunciated that the pub had originally begun allowing people in there due to its eight motel rooms at the rear. But, they got packed so fast with stranded drivers that they became crowded and congested leaving people with no choice but to sleep on the floor.
There were “three ladies in a single room who were not familiar with each other”, she said. “We likewise had a young pair who slammed their car down but were luckily uninjured. They also wished to get somewhere secure and warm.” she further articulated.
Dr. Loske told BBC Radio Sussex: “It was a prolonged night and a relatively terrifying one, but we were glad to make several great friends and we came together with so many beautiful and considerate people. We are unassailable and warm.”
Correspondingly, continuous heavy snow led to a lot of travel disruptions and flight cancellations in the UK, causing an uproar.
A turmoil warning was handed out at London Stansted Airport. “Our runway is temporarily shut down while we toil to vacate the snow,” he further explained. The airport is a primary junction for appropriation airline Ryanair which also gave notice of the upheaval to the flights at Gatwick, south of London.
“Because of the continuous snow in the UK, flight exits at Stansted and Gatwick have been temporarily shut down tonight (December 11).”
However, both terminals opened on Monday, with a warning of a delay issued to the travelers. Several passengers uploaded videos on social media exhibiting snow-covered runways and aircraft stuck on the floor.
Moreover, harsh conditions caused travel upheaval and a halt to runways due to heavy snowfall at Manchester Airport too, on Saturday morning.
Apart from that, train and bus services in London were also severely affected after practically four inches (10 cm) of snow poured down in a single night, compelling the shutdown of areas of the M25 ring road, which is the country’s most active and happening motorway.
The Met Office declared the anticipated freezing mist patches to become more immense and boundless by Sunday morning. It further gave notice to the populace that power cuts and mobile phone coverage might get affected too.
The Met Office further articulated that the severe weather constraints could cause more travel disturbances, especially on Monday. However, it has officially culminated its weather alerts for Northern Ireland, despite canceling some sporting fixtures due to the chilly weather ushering in there.
Luckily, snow has been sorting itself out in Devon and Wales along with some areas of Scotland and northwest England.
Though the weather conditions were severe, the children still had some fun. They ecstatically created a snowman after the first substantial snowfall in Cheshire on December 10, 2022, in Northwich, UK.
The Met Office laid out yellow snow and ice warnings for Sunday and Monday. They consist of the following statements:
- Snow and ice would sprawl across northern, a few areas of central Scotland, and eastern regions until 12:00 on Sunday
- Meager visibility across the East Midlands, East of England, London, and the South East until 11:00 on Sunday would be caused by haze and mist
- Snow and ice in northern Scotland on Sunday and Monday
- Manchester Airport closed both runways on Saturday morning with many flights impacted.
- Motorists in north-western England are also being instructed to be careful regarding accidents on motorways
Met Office chief meteorologist Steve Willington said: “It is remaining cold with daytime temperatures remaining only a few degrees above freezing in many locales in the coming days and overnight temperatures falling to -10C or downward in solitary spots.”
“There is always a chance we could witness some freezing fog in places especially southern England on Sunday and Monday mornings.”
Meteorologist Stav Danaos reported in his latest BBC Weather forecast that the cold period is here to remain for destiny.
He further said: “Through the temperature keeps up chilly in northern and western areas where we’ve encountered the bombardments. Snow sails itself into the south of Scotland as well as north-eastern England.”
He summed up: “Into Sunday we must keep an eye on this vulnerable area of low pressure formulating towards south-east England. That could grow into a thicker cloud and perhaps some sleet and snow unusually delinquent in the day. This could have an impact on parts of southeast and east Anglia.”
The general people are being urged to check on helpless family and friends to ensure that they have an adequate supply of warm food and drinks as the cold conditions smash in.
The UKHSA added that people are supposed to keep their indoor climate comfortable and heat them to at least 18C (64.4F).
Dr. Agostinho Sousa, adviser in public health medicine at UKHSA, said: “Cold weather can have serious consequences for health, and the elderly age group along with those who have underlying heart or lung conditions can be especially at risk. If you have a medical illness, it’s better for you to heat your houses to a temperature that is comfy for you.”
“The rooms that you mostly use such as the living room or bedroom should be warmed to at least 18C. Also, wearing several layers of clothes will keep you warmer.”
Gritters will stay put this weekend to assist in emptying the roads and sorting out travel disruption.
Darren Clark, severe weather resilience manager said that National Highways is committed to treating every road that requires treatment.”
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