UK weather: Moment drivers tackle heavy snow flurries as Met Office warns of travel chaos with mercury dropping to -8C

THIS is the moment drivers are seen tackling heavy snow flurries, after the Met Office warned of mercury dropping to -8 degrees Celsius.

The icy storm hit Huddersfield, West Yorks, on Monday night, with heavy snow seen mounting up on the roadside.

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The footage shows car edging slowly along the road, as the storm continues to batter their windscreens.

A snow-ploughing lorry can also be seen passing through the shot.

It comes as part of an “Arctic chill” that has sparked carnage for drivers across Britain and seen the coldest night of the season so far.

The Met Office has put yellow weather warnings in place across the East Midlands, Yorkshire, Wales and the north of England, with forecasters predicting these could even be “escalated”.

Meanwhile, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) issued the first amber cold weather health alert of the season, for the same area.

Along with the charity Age UK, it warned that the conditions could be dangerous for vulnerable people, including the elderly – as temperatures dropped as low as -7.8C in Tulloch Bridge, Scotland, the lowest temperature seen in the UK since last winter.

The warning will remain in place until 6pm on Saturday.

The ongoing storm brings with it a chance of power cuts, disruption to road and public transport and the risk of injury from slipping on ice.

A separate Met Office yellow warning was also in place Monday morning covering the far north of Scotland – as mercury dropped to -3.3C in the Scottish Highlands.

Age UK director Caroline Abrahams raised her concerns about the update in light of the cost of living crisis and cuts to winter fuel support.

She said: “With the Met Office issuing a yellow weather warning of snow and ice in some areas this week we are especially worried – the loss of the Winter Fuel Payment has caused many older people to be extra fearful about turning on their heating this winter.

“With high energy bills and food prices it is understandable that some may think they have to cut back on food and turn their heating off, but prolonged exposure to cold temperatures can have a serious impact on an older person’s health, especially if they are already trying to manage existing illnesses.

“The cold raises blood pressure, which in turn increases the risk of a heart attack or stroke and breathing in cold air can also increase the risk, and impact, of serious illnesses like flu and pneumonia.”

She added that it is “vital” that older people stay “fit, warm and well if they can” by having hot food and drinks throughout the day, wrapping up warm and sleeping with the windows closed.

Met Office expert Tom Morgan added his predictions for the coming days.

He said: “We could see some disruptive snow in the Pennine regions, in particular, the Peak District as well, especially Monday night.

“But we could well see some impacts lasting on until Tuesday morning’s rush hour.

“Even down to lower levels, we could well see some snow as well, so quite a bit of disruption is possible by Tuesday morning.

“The week ahead is likely to stay cold nationwide, a windy day tomorrow, and then winter showers through the week ahead.

“What we can say is that it’s going to be very cold for the for the time of year.

“There will be widespread overnight frosts, and a few locations where there’s snow on the ground.”

He added that the snowy flurries currently hitting the north of England could creep into the south too.

However, there will be highs of 5C across the country – higher than usual for this time of year.

Mr Morgan added: “There’ll be some snow showers in the peripheries of the UK, particularly northern Scotland, and down the east and the west coast.

“But if you live inland and you live in the south, there’ll be lots of sparkly blue skies on the most days through Tuesday to Friday.”

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