Winter’s here! Parts of Britain wake to snowy scenes as icy Siberian blasts blows in… and it’s due to last a MONTH

By JOHN STEVENS

Snow go! A worker clears ice from the plough of his gritter after overnight snow in County Durham

Bitter Siberian-style winter weather is finally here with parts of Britain waking up today to the first big snowfall of the year.
Up to four inches of snow are expected to fall across higher ground today with temperatures set to plummet to minus five across the whole country by the weekend.
The Met Office has put severe weather warnings in place today for ice on the roads with snow turning to slush and causing travel disruption.

White dawn: Snow covers a tree plantation in County Durham this morning as the sun rises

Wintery scenes: A car struggles up the hill in the snow at Killhope, County Durham this morning

The cold spell breaks what has so far been one of the warmest winters on record. And forecasters said it was becoming increasingly likely that the freezing temperatures would stick around and even last through the whole of February.

Struggle: A woman walks her dog in the snow at Nenthead, Cumbria, as the winter weather swept in

George Goodfellow of the Met Office said: ‘It seems like we are edging toward a scenario where lower temperatures last for the next four weeks. It is going to be a contrast to the weather we have had this winter. Widespread frosts and snow could affect large areas.’ He said the wintry weather was a result of ‘a cold air mass moving across from Siberia’.
There are fears that the sudden onset could bring travel chaos and catch many drivers off guard.

White-out! An old farm house in the snow near Killhope, County Durham

AA spokesman Luke Bodett said: ‘We have had a very mild winter so far and motorists need to get into their winter mindset from today. It is going to be important not to charge around in the way they may have been used to and be prepared for the unexpected.’
The Met Office has briefed government departments and local councils about the cold period so that extreme weather plans can be put on standby. Snow is expected to fall today in Cumbria, the Pennines and parts of Scotland, with a light dusting expected in areas as far south as Devon. Nick Prebble, a forecaster with MeteoGroup, said: ‘Friday will feel a lot different to recent days, the main thing about it is there are going to be a lot of wintery showers all over the country.

‘There may be snow flurries in higher areas but hail elsewhere.

‘It will be quite a bright day though overall with quite a few sunny spells, around 8c in London.’ He added that sleet and snow could be expected in eastern areas by Monday.
Two police officers were taken to hospital last night after their marked car collided with a lorry in the first casualties of the cold snap.
Strathclyde Police said the officers were taken to the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley with minor injuries after the crash on the A8 near Langbank in Renfrewshire.

On its way? Snow could hit the country in the next few days with warnings that the big freeze could last for up to a month. Here two dog walkers are seen in a park in New Cumnock, Ayrshire yesterday

Bitter: Temperatures across the country could drop below zero due to a cold air mass moving west from Siberia

Investigators are continuing to work to establish the cause of the crash but it is known that snow was falling in the area at the time.
Britain had been on track for one of the mildest winters since records began more than 350 years ago.
But Met Office forecaster Helen Chivers said: ‘Cold weather is winning the battle for dominance and people will notice the cold carrying on for more than a few days.
‘There is the potential for the colder weather to continue through February, although we can’t say at this stage whether there would be much snowfall or dry cold.’

source: dailymail