The cold snap gripping the UK saw temperatures drop to -13.9C on Saturday – but a reprieve is on its way as forecasters predicted a return to milder weather this week.
Temperatures have been below freezing for 12 nights in a row, meaning the UK as a whole has not seen the mercury go above freezing at night since the start of the year.
On Saturday, Kinbrace in northern Scotland saw the lowest overnight temperature at -13.9C, while Cavendish in Suffolk hit -7.8C and Hawarden Airport in Wales dropped to minus -2.2C, the Met Office said.
It came after temperatures plummeted to -18.9C on Saturday morning in Altnaharra, Scotland, and was the UK’s coldest January night in 15 years.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has extended its cold weather health alert for all of England until Tuesday. Amber alerts have been extended and will now run until 14 January, meaning a rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions, is likely, the agency said.
Sunday night is set to see milder air arrive, with the Met Office forecasting temperatures in Northern Ireland and western Scotland to reach 9C and 10C by the end of the night, while most places were set to be between minus 1C and 3C – not as cold compared to recent nights, according to Met Office meteorologist Greg Dewhurst.
This week will bring a north/south split in terms of temperature and weather, according to the Met Office, with Northern Ireland and the northern half of the country seeing cloudy weather with outbreaks of patchy rain and between 9C and 12C, while the central and southern areas drier and between 5C and 8C.
Tuesday will be similar, but potentially drier with temperatures between 11-12C in the north and 8-9C in the south.
Dewhurst said: “(It will be) back to average temperatures generally for the time of year.”
What is the forecast for the rest of January?
In contrast to the recent freezing weather, temperatures are likely to be a bit above average later this month, according to the Met Office.
The organisation’s long-range forecast for Friday 17 January to Sunday 26 January said high pressure will bring “generally settled conditions” across many parts of the country, with variable cloud and some frost and fog in the south and east, this slow to clear, and some rain in the far northwest.
“Low pressure then seems likely to increasingly influence the UK weather later in the period,” it said, “with some rain and windier conditions affecting most if not all parts.
“Temperatures are likely to be generally a little above average, especially in the north, though more frost and fog patches are likely under clearer skies and lighter winds.”
