Mercury to rise into double digits as cold spell comes to end
Temperatures are forecast to rise into the double digits as the UK’s cold spell comes to an end, the Met Office has said.
Monday will see the beginning of the milder weather, with the mercury rising to highs of 13C in England and Wales, 12C in Northern Ireland and 10C in Scotland.
It follows a period of freezing conditions, which saw the UK record its coldest temperature for 65 years at Braemar in Aberdeenshire on Wednesday night when the mercury dropped down to minus 23C.
#ValentinesDay will see rain spreading across the UK with a risk of freezing rain and ice in the northeast as milder air starts arriving from the west pic.twitter.com/8IncKa3gQr
— Met Office (@metoffice) February 14, 2021
Met Office forecaster Luke Miall said: “Weather-wise, it’s not too bad a day for many tomorrow.
“It does start wet across south-east England with some outbreaks of rain.
“But from mid to late morning they should clear, and then for many we are looking at dry interludes with some sunny spells.
“There may be one or two showers in Scotland.”
A yellow weather warning for wind remains in place until midnight on Sunday for western Scotland and Northern Ireland’s east coast.
Mr Miall said gusts of 81mph had been recorded on the island of South Uist in the Outer Hebrides.
It's a #windy day for many, with some particularly strong winds in the northwest and through the Irish Sea
A wind warning is in place across western Scotland and parts of Northern Ireland where we could see gusts of 60-80mph
Take a look at the strongest gusts expected 🌬️👇 pic.twitter.com/U81RwJimIu
— Met Office (@metoffice) February 14, 2021
Freezing rain had also been reported in eastern Scotland and north-east England, with some tree branches and cars given an “icy coating”, Mr Miall added.
A yellow weather warning for ice covering those eastern areas was in place until 3pm.
Sunday night is forecast to be milder as temperatures hover around 2C to 3C in eastern parts of the UK and 6C to 7C across the west.
Temperatures dropped to -4.9C overnight on Saturday in Dalwhinnie, in the Scottish Highlands, and lows of -4C at Pennerley in Shropshire, England.
Mr Miall said the weather will be “quite wet and windy” for most of the week.
He said: “We will be hovering between 7C to 12C, I suspect, through Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday.
“Most of the snow will start melting early in the week, with the exception being Scotland because they have had so much of it.”
The chilly conditions froze Trafalgar Square’s fountains and brought large amounts of snowfall to regions across the country.
In Derbyshire’s High Peak area, the impressive Kinder Downfall also froze, turning the 98ft waterfall into a slippery climbing wall.