Weather warnings have been issued by the Met Office until Thursday of this week (December 15). The yellow weather warnings predict snow, ice and fog across different areas of the UK for the next four days.
Today (Monday, December 12), the north of Scotland will see wintery showers and icy conditions. Ice and fog will impact the midlands and southeast England.
There is also a Status Yellow ice and fog weather warning in place for the whole of Northern Ireland today.
Chief meteorologist for the Met Office, Steve Willington, said: “It is staying cold with daytime temperatures remaining only a few degrees above freezing in many places over the coming days and overnight temperatures dropping to -10° or lower in isolated spots.”
The rest of the week
Tomorrow (Tuesday, December 13) will see the yellow snow and ice warning in the north of Scotland spread further inland, and the southeast will continue to see icy conditions.
All other weather warnings will expire.
For Wednesday (December 14), the only weather warning currently in place is a snow and ice warning in the north of Scotland that spreads into the east of England.
The yellow warning for the same area will continue into Thursday (December 15) and no further weather warnings are forecast yet for later in the week.
However, a level 3 cold weather alert issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) covering all of England is currently in place until Friday (December 16).
Health risks
Dr. Agostinho Sousa, consultant in public health medicine at UKHSA, said: “Cold weather can have serious consequences for health, and older people and those with heart or lung conditions can be particularly at risk.
“If you have a pre-existing medical condition, you should heat your home to a temperature that is comfortable for you.
“In rooms you mostly use such as the living room or bedroom, try to heat them to at least 18° if you can. Keep your bedroom windows closed at night. Wearing several layers of clothing will keep you warmer than one thicker layer.”
Driving conditions
The Met Office has warned of longer journey times by road, bus and train services because of potentially hazardous driving conditions because of ice and fog.
Darren Clark, severe weather resilience manager at National Highways, said: “Gritters continue to undertake salt spreading over the coming days where needed during the first significant operation of this autumn and winter season on motorways and major A-roads amid colder temperatures across the country.
“National Highways is committed to treating every road which needs to be treated – whenever it is needed.
“We are armed with the latest technology, forecasting intelligence and years of experience to help us make informed decisions about where and when we need to spread salt to help keep road users safe in even the most adverse weather conditions.”
