BIT OF ALL WHITE
UK weather – Snow hits London and Kent in -8C ‘Polar Plunge’ as Brits braced for freezing weekend
SNOW has hit London, Kent and Essex during a -8C springtime polar plunge - as Brits are warned to brace for more freezing weather at the weekend.
Temperatures plummeted across the country overnight, bringing inches of the white stuff to eastern areas.
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Commuters were warned of rush hour chaos as roads and railways were affected.
Kent and London are among the warmest places in the country thanks to their comparative closeness to continental Europe. They're also furthest from the path of most Atlantic low-pressure systems.
However, the south-east has borne the brunt of the bitter blast this week, with a rare blanket of snow falling on hilly areas.
The weather will stay cold until next week, with a new yellow warning for ice issued for Saturday.
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The warning, which stretches along the east of the country between the Scottish Borders and Lincolnshire, is in place between midnight and 10am.
Met Office forecaster Sarah Kent said millions will see snow today.
"The snow's going to fall across quite a wide area, mainly along the east coast, taking in Northumberland, the North York Moors and the Pennines," she said.
"Another band of snow will affect Kent and Essex and the temperatures are going to be low enough for it to settle."
She added: "It's not that unusual to see snow around Easter time.
"But it's more of a shock to the system because of the unusually high 20C temperatures we were enjoying this time last week."
Two yellow weather warnings in place this morning have since lapsed.
There was an ice alert for the east of the country all the way from the Scottish islands to Sleaford in Lincolnshire.
A further snow warning covered eastern and central parts of Kent, and the east coast of Essex.
'COLD AIR IS COMING'
The mercury will remain below the 12C average for this time of year until at least Sunday.
In more exposed coastal areas the wind chill factor will make it feel more like freezing.
But by Monday the snow will make way for milder conditions - and the arrival of April showers.
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Donal Considine of the BBC's forecaster DTN MeteoGroup said: “The cold air is coming from right up at the North Pole, so is as cold as it can get.
“It will definitely be unusually cold for London, with -2C forecast at Heathrow on Friday morning and Friday night, with -4C away from the city while -10C is possible for Scotland's Highland glens on Friday morning.”
A Met Office forecaster said: “Sub-zero temperatures are possible for for much of the UK with -8C possible in the north of Scotland.”
Londoners were among those hit by snow yesterday as the Arctic blast swept through Britain.
The bone-chilling plunge saw temperatures dip below freezing first thing, with thick flurries of the white stuff spotted across the capital.
A yellow weather warning for ice was put in place over most of eastern Britain, which is set to last until 10am today.
According to forecasters "snow and hail showers could lead to icy surfaces, with possible travel disruption".
Met Office forecaster Matthew Box told The Sun Online: "We’ve got a cold air mass across the UK from the north.
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"Behind it are showers and they’re bringing a mix of rain sleet and snow mainly to the east of the UK.
"This morning in particular we’ve got temperatures at or below zero in many places."
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