UK weather: Warnings of heavy snow, strong winds and blizzards as cold snap grips country
The UK cold snap is expected to worsen for many on Thursday, with more snow predicted across large parts, bringing the threat of power cuts and travel delays.
The heaviest snowfall is expected in northern and central England, where up to 40cm (15 inches) could hit an area stretching from Durham down to Stoke-on-Trent.
It comes as National Highways warned drivers to plan for “a significant second wave” of snow from Wednesday afternoon.
Motorists are being urged to plan ahead for any disruption to their journeys, following several alerts for snow and ice across the UK from the Met Office.
Amber and yellow weather warnings have been issued by the Met Office
Check the latest forecast in your area
Overnight into Wednesday marked the coldest night of the year so far, and more sub-zero overnight temperatures are expected in all four UK nations in the coming days.
And the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has placed all regions of England under a level 3 cold weather alert – lasting until midnight on Thursday.
Under a Met Office amber weather warning which comes into force at 3pm on Thursday and lasts for 21 hours until midday on Friday, there is likely to be “significant disruption” to transport, power lines and mobile phone network coverage, with heavy snow, strong easterly winds and blizzards predicted.
The alert affects Derbyshire, Durham, Cheshire East, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Staffordshire, along with North, South and West Yorkshire.
The Met Office said: “Snow is expected to develop over northern England on Thursday morning, becoming persistent through the afternoon and overnight into early Friday morning before slowly easing.
“Residual impacts from snowfall are expected to persist through Friday morning. 10-20cm of snow is expected to fall quite widely, with some places seeing 30-40cm.
“Strong easterly winds are expected to accompany this snow, leading to blizzards and drifting of lying snow.”
Drivers are being urged to take extra care
Milder yellow warnings for snow have also been issued, covering much of the nation from Wednesday to Friday.
One of them will be in effect from 7am on Thursday until 2pm on Friday and covers all of the UK north of Birmingham.
The Met Office said: “An area of low pressure will move across the UK on Thursday and Friday with snow developing across Wales and central England early on Thursday morning.
“This is expected to move slowly north during the day, becoming slow-moving across north Wales, northern England, Northern Ireland and southern Scotland during the afternoon and evening before slowly clearing southeast on Friday.”
People play in the snow on the Dunstable Downs in Bedfordshire
Yellow warnings for snow and ice until 7am on Thursday cover central and southern areas of England and Wales as well as northeast England and southeast Scotland.
A further yellow warning for snow and ice is in place for northern Scotland until 10am on Thursday.
Temperatures at Kinbrace in the Highlands dropped to this year’s low of -15.4C overnight into Wednesday.
Met Office spokesperson Nicola Maxey said this was the coldest March temperature recorded since 2010, but that it is “not that unusual to see snow in March”.
“March is a transition month from winter into spring,” she said. “Statistically, you’re more likely to see snow in March than in December.”
Liverpool have won the Premier League title after a 5-1 victory over Tottenham at Anfield.
Arne Slot’s men did it in impressive style, turning over Spurs in a convincing win.
It was a rocky start for the Reds after Dominic Solanke put the north London side ahead.
However, fortunes quickly changed in the first half as Liverpool scored three times without a response.
Captain Virgil van Dijk (centre) celebrates. Pic: Reuters
Salah on his knees in celebration after the final whistle. Pic: AP
Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott (below) and Jarell Quansah celebrate after full-time. Pic: PA
Slot cheers after the full-time whistle. Pic: AP
In the second half, it took until the 63rd minute for Mohamed Salah to make it 4-1 before a fifth followed.
The Reds have won the title in manager Arne Slot’s first season in charge, and move level with fierce rivals Manchester United on 20 league championships.
But it makes them arguably the most successful English club ever as they have won more European Cup or Champions League titles.
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk told Sky Sports after the final whistle: “It’s special and it’s something that we don’t take for granted. It’s amazing.
“A lot of emotions before the game, during the whole week, but we got the job done and we (are) truly deserved champions of England. (Liverpool is) the most beautiful club in the world and I think we deserve all of this. Let’s enjoy the next couple of weeks and let it sink in.”
Liverpool’s Kostas Tsimikas poses with a Premier League trophy cut out. Pic: Reuters
Manager Arne Slot and his team after the final whistle. Pic: AP
Slot took over last summer from Jurgen Klopp, who guided them to their previous and maiden Premier League title triumph in 2020, when the COVID-19 lockdown saw matches played behind closed doors.
He is the first Dutch manager to win the Premier League and the fifth man to do so in a debut campaign after Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti, Manuel Pellegrini, and Antonio Conte.
Speaking to Sky Sports he said: “They [the players] did an outstanding job today. The main job was to win. Everyone said we had got it already. But we had to make sure and we got over the line.”
Several players, including Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk, and Mohamed Salah, played leading roles in both the 2025 and 2020 campaigns.
Van Dijk and Salah recently signed new contracts extending their careers at the club.
Mohamed Salah takes a selfie with fans after scouring the fourth Liverpool goal. Pic: AP
Fans at Anfield during the game. Pic: AP
Fans in the stands at Anfield before full-time. Pic: Reuters
Liverpool will have to wait until the final game of the season – at home to Crystal Palace on 25 May – to be presented with the Premier League trophy.
It will be the first time the club’s fans will have seen their side lift the top-flight title in person since 1990.
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Two pro-Palestinian demonstrators have thrown red powder on Tower Bridge – just moments before leading runners in the London Marathon went past.
The protesters were arrested on suspicion of causing a public nuisance and remain in custody, said the Metropolitan Police.
A video shared by Youth Demand, which is calling for a trade embargo on Israel, shows two people jumping over a barrier that separates spectators from the race course.
The pair, wearing t-shirts that say “Youth Demand: Stop Arming Israel”, are then seen standing in the middle of the road on the bridge.
Pic: LNP
They throw red powder in the air as an official marathon car goes past displaying the race time.
A motorbike with a cameraman on board continues along the route, while a second motorbike stops and one of the riders gets off and pushes the pair out of the way, just before the men’s elite runners pass.
Several police officers then jump over the barrier and detain the pair, the footage shows.
There appeared to be no impact on the marathon.
More than 56,000 participants were expected to take part in the 26.2-mile race through the capital.
Sabastian Sawe of Kenya won the men’s elite race in a time of two hours, two minutes and 27 seconds, while Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa shattered the women’s-only world record in two hours, 15 minutes and 50 seconds.
Assefa beat the previous best of two hours, 16 minutes and 16 seconds set last year in London by Kenyan Peres Jepchirchir.
Read more:
Sky’s Beth Rigby running marathon in honour of ‘dearest friend’
Badenoch does not rule out local coalitions with Reform
Pic: LNP
The Metropolitan Police said in a statement: “At around 10.38am, two protesters from Youth Demand jumped over barriers at Tower Bridge and threw red paint on to the road.
“Marathon event staff intervened to remove the protesters from the path of the men’s elite race which was able to pass unobstructed.”
The force added that they were “quickly supported by police officers who arrested the protesters on suspicion of causing a public nuisance”.
The Met said the paint “appeared to be chalk-based” and was not expected to “present a hazard to runners yet to pass this point”.
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