UK snow forecast: Wintry blast to blanket Britain again in days after -8.7C deep freeze and blizzards chaos

ANOTHER wintry blast is set to hit again in days after the UK was hit by freezing temperatures and flurries of snow.

Last night thousands of home were still stuck without power after Storm Arwen lashed the country with blizzards and 100mph winds - and the cold weather is set to continue.

Engineers have been drafted in from across the UK to help thousands of homes still without power following the destructive Storm Arwen.

The Energy Networks Association (ENA) said the number of UK homes powerless as of 5pm on Monday was 66,000, although around 1,000,000 homes and businesses are believed to have been damaged overall.

The worst-affected areas remain Scotland and north-east England, with engineers drafted in from Northern Ireland and southern England to help repair faults and "significant damage" to the network.

This comes as parts of the UK faced the coldest night of the autumn so far, including Shap in Cumbria, north-west England, which the Met Office said recorded the lowest temperature of the season so far at minus 8.7C (16.34F).

Meanwhile, yesterday brought an end to a three-day lock-in at Britain’s highest pub where punters were snowed in on Friday night whilst watching an Oasis tribute band.

The Tan Hill Inn, in North Yorks, which is 1,732 feet above sea level, found itself completely cut off by 10ft drifts.

It meant 61 customers, seven staff and the five members of Noasis were trapped inside the 17th century coaching inn.

They bedded down in the pub each night and over the course of the weekend sank hundreds of pints of ale and lager.

But a minor road towards Richmond - and apparent salvation - was finally cleared yesterday morning enabling those inside to finally leave.

As well as the booze, the pub served up 115 cooked breakfasts, 54 Sunday lunches, dozens of curries, and kept topping up a free buffet with scores of pies and sandwiches.

In Scotland, more than 800 seal pups have been killed during the storm.

Ranger Ciaran Hatsell said the storm had hit at the "peak of pupping season" leaving a "pretty grim scene" in its wake, reports the BBC.

But there's plenty more weather misery to come as December begins, forecasters say.

Temperatures of -10C are on the way - and the Met Office has predicted snow in the UK almost every day for the next two weeks, including today.

Forecasters say we may even see a rare white Christmas as an Arctic blast holds the UK in its grip.

The mercury dipped to a bone-chilling -8.7C in Shap, Cumbria, last night, making it the coldest night of the season so far.

Meanwhile, Jim Dale, a meteorologist for the British Weather Services, said this is just the beginning of what's set to be a bruising season.

“In terms of storms over the next month and into New Year, things are just about to get going," he said.

“Storm Arwen could be the beginning of many. The potential is there for a run of storms through the festive season and perhaps beyond.

“So far this autumn, the weather has been too settled and tranquil, and this always leads to a counterbalance.”

Long-range experts fear this winter may be the coldest and snowiest since the big freeze of 2010/11.

Changes in stratospheric temperatures over the Arctic could add to the misery, as during the 2018 Beast from the East.

James Madden, forecaster for Exacta Weather, said: “December is now looking to be a cold month throughout.

“From mid-month and into the final third of December could see some sudden stratospheric movements bringing an even colder north-east or easterly wind that could persist for number of weeks.

“Snow on Christmas Day is more likely in the north of the country, but things can change rapidly, and we can’t rule out festive snow anywhere.”

And bookies have slashed the odds of a white Christmas this year as the UK is already covered in snow.

Experts reckon people in Edinburgh have the best chance at seeing snow on Christmas Day, with odds of 3-1.

The Scottish capital is followed by Newcastle at 7-2, Belfast at 4-1 and Birmingham at 5-1.

London is 13-2 for snow on the big day, while Manchester goes 11-2.