UK weather forecast: Britain battered by heavy snow, rain, wind and ice as FOUR fresh warnings issued

The south of England is set for a weekend of heavy rain which could flood homes
Francesca Gillett29 December 2017

Heavy snow, rain, thunderstorms and strong winds have battered the UK ahead of a weekend of more unpleasant conditions.

People in northern England and Scotland woke up to several centimetres of snow on Friday morning amid a cold snap which has seen temperatures drop to minus 12.3C.

The Met Office had issued six separate weather warnings for different parts of Britain and on Friday four more alerts for this weekend were announced ahead of heavy rain which could flood homes and businesses in the south of England.

Parts of Yorkshire, Cumbria, Huddersfield and Glasgow were among some of the most photographed areas blanketed in snow on Friday as workers braced the cold in snowploughs to clear roads.

UK snow December 2017: Heavy snow falls in northern England

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Highways England urged motorists to “pack a shovel” and only drive if really necessary.

It comes after Britain saw one of the coldest nights of the year overnight on Thursday with temperatures falling to minus 12.3C at Loch Glascarnoch in the Scottish Highlands overnight

A snowplough clears a road in Loxley in north Sheffield.
PA

The south west of England and south coast was lashed by torrential downpours, lightning and strong winds.

An amber warning, the second most severe Met Office alert, was issued for snow on Friday morning. Five other yellow warnings for snow, ice and winds of up to 70 mph were also issued by forecasters.

Heavy snow makes driving conditions treachorous on the M62 motorway in Huddersfield.
Getty Images

The Met Office has now also issued a fresh burst of weather alerts ahead of the weekend, putting an ice warning in place for Scotland and northern England until midday on Saturday.

A separate weather warning for heavy rain across south Wales and much of southern England has been issued from 3pm on Friday to 12pm on Saturday and again from 6pm on Saturday to 9am on New Year’s Eve.

Northern Ireland and southern Scotland have also been warned of a danger to life caused by strong winds and flying debris on New Year’s Eve,

Temperatures are expected to rise slightly by the weekend, with London and the south east likely to see highs of 13C.

A bus makes it way along a snow-covered road in Loxley in north Sheffield.
PA

The heaviest snowfall of 5cm-10cm is expected in parts of northern England and up to 15cm over higher ground.

The RAC was reportedly "very, very busy across the UK" on Friday morning after workers expected a breakdown call-out once every 10 seconds.

Meanwhile the AA said they had received more than 1,687 breakdown calls before 10am on Friday, with 10 cases of vehicles being stuck in snow.

The AA said that the worst areas on the roads were around Manchester and Cumbria, and that the A6 in Cumbria, the Snake Pass and several roads around Macclesfield were closed.

Flights were also temporarily suspended at one of Scotland's busiest airports as blizzard conditions gripped western parts of the country.

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