UK weather: Warnings for snow and freezing rain across large parts of the country this weekend
Warnings have been issued for heavy snow and freezing rain over the weekend, with icy weather expected to cause disruption across large parts of the UK.
Two amber and two yellow alerts have been issued by the Met Office across most of the country for both Saturday and Sunday.
Forecasters say power cuts are likely and that vehicles could become stranded on roads as wintry conditions continue. Trains and flights could also be delayed or cancelled.
Weather warnings are in place across the UK – but some wild swimmers are still braving the cold. Pic: PA
There is a “good chance” that rural communities could be cut off, with up to 30cm of snowfall expected in some areas, the Met Office said. Some “significant accumulations” of snow are possible in parts of the Midlands and the North.
Jason Kelly, Met Office chief forecaster, said that freezing rain – when rain instantly freezes on cold surfaces on the ground – is also a risk in those areas, but even more so in Wales, and could lead to “treacherous conditions in places”.
Icy conditions earlier in the week are being considered by police as a possible factor in a collision in Lincolnshire on Thursday night, in which a seven-month-old baby was killed.
Where are the Met Office amber warnings in place?
- From 6pm Saturday to midday Sunday, an amber warning for snow and freezing rain covers most of Wales and central England, including the Midlands and Liverpool and Manchester in the North West
- From 9pm on Saturday to midnight on Sunday, a second warning for snow covers most of northern England, including Leeds, Sheffield and the Lake District
Between 3cm and 7cm of snowfall is predicted widely in both areas, while snow may mix with rain at times in lower-lying areas, forecasters said.
Less severe yellow warnings also cover most of England, Wales and Scotland, and part of Northern Ireland, covering different periods of time throughout the weekend.
Meanwhile, cold weather health alerts issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) also remain in place across England ahead of a week of low temperatures.
Amber alerts will run until 8 January, meaning a rise in deaths is likely, the agency said.
Dr Agostinho Sousa, the agency’s head of extreme events and health protection, said the low temperatures could have “a serious impact on the health of some people, including those aged 65 and over and those with pre-existing health conditions”.
He urged people to “check in on friends, family and neighbours that are most vulnerable” who could be more at risk of heart attacks, strokes and chest infections.
A frosty Phoenix Park in Dublin, Ireland, where weather warnings are also in place. Pic: PA
Several snow-ice warnings have also been issued across Ireland. Significant snowfall accumulations are expected in Carlow, Kilkenny, Wicklow, Clare, Limerick and Tipperary for 24 hours from 5pm on Saturday, forecasters at Met Eireann said, creating difficult travelling conditions and poor visibility.
Anyone planning to travel over the weekend is advised by National Highways to check their vehicle, keep their distance on the roads, and pack a “snow kit” of blankets, food, water and a shovel.
Network Rail has said there is a specially equipped winter fleet to keep the railway running throughout winter, while UK airports have also been making preparations for the cold snap.
Some football games have already been called off this weekend, including Cheltenham’s match against League Two leaders Walsall, Halifax’s National League home game against Fylde, and Friday night’s Scottish Championship game between Airdrie and leaders Falkirk.
Saturday’s race meeting at Newcastle has also been abandoned due to the course being frozen.
Charity boss Simon Francis, from the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, has given his advice to anyone struggling with energy bills during the cold snap, saying people should first contact their energy provider.
“All of them have to have schemes in place to help those people, especially the vulnerable,” he told Sky News.
“It’s not enough. We know it’s not enough. But they do have schemes available, and you should certainly speak to them if you are feeling that your home is getting cold and damp, and you can’t afford to put the heating on.”
Milder air will briefly cover some southern areas during the weekend before colder conditions return next week, the Met Office said.
Temperatures would remain below average, said deputy chief forecaster Dan Holley.
After a summer dominated by criticism over the small boats crisis and asylum hotels, Labour says it’s planning to overhaul the “broken” asylum system.
As MPs return to Westminster today, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper will speak about the government’s success in tackling people smugglers and plans for border security reform.
August saw the lowest number of Channel crossings since 2019 – but the last year has the most on record. Pic: Reuters
Labour hopes that the raft of changes being proposed will contribute to ending the use of asylum hotels, an issue which has led to widespread protests over the summer.
Ms Cooper will set out planned changes to the refugee family reunion process to give “greater fairness and balance”, and speak to the government’s promise to “smash the gangs” behind English Channel crossings.
National Crime Agency (NCA) figures show record levels of disruption of immigration crime networks in 2024/25. Officials believe this contributed to the lowest number of boats crossing the Channel in August since 2019.
But, despite the 3,567 arrivals in August being the lowest since 2021, when looking across the whole of 2025, the figure of 29,003 is the highest on record for this point in a year.
Read more:
The deep divides in town which has become a flashpoint in UK’s asylum crisis
PM vows small boat migrants will be ‘detained and sent back’
Where are the UK’s asylum seekers from?
Labour says actions to strengthen border security, increase returns and overhaul the asylum system, will result in “putting much stronger foundations in place so we can fix the chaos we inherited and end costly asylum hotels”.
In a message to Reform UK, which has promised mass deportations, and the Tories, who want to revive the Rwanda scheme, Ms Cooper will say: “These are complex challenges, and they require sustainable and workable solutions, not fantasy promises which can’t be delivered.”
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The town at boiling point over migration
While the home secretary will look back at the UK’s “proud record of giving sanctuary to those fleeing persecution”, she will argue the system “needs to be properly controlled and managed, so the rules are respected and enforced, and so governments, not criminal gangs, decide who comes to the UK”.
She will also give further details around measures announced over the summer, including the UK’s landmark returns deal with France, and update MPs on reforms to the asylum appeals process.
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp dismissed Ms Cooper’s intervention as a “desperate distraction tactic”, reiterating record levels of illegal Channel crossings, the rise in the use of asylum hotels and the highest number of asylum claims in history in Labour’s first year.
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Richard Tice reveals how navy would deal with small boats
Sir Keir Starmer too, says he intends to “deliver change,” using a column in Monday’s Mirror to criticise the Tories and Reform UK for whipping up migrant hatred.
And the prime minister isn’t the only one to hit out at Reform UK’s flagship immigration plan, with the Archbishop of York accusing it of being an “isolationist, short-term kneejerk” approach, with no “long-term solutions”.
In response, Richard Tice, Reform’s deputy leader, told Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips the archbishop was “wrong” in his criticism.
Anti-asylum demonstrators in Epping, Essex. Pic: PA
Mr Tice, who is the MP for Boston and Skegness, said he was a Christian who “enjoys” the church – but that the “role of the archbishop is not actually to interfere with international migration policies”.
Meanwhile, the Court of Appeal will hand down its full written judgment in the Bell Hotel case today, which saw Epping Forest District Council fail in an attempt to stop asylum seekers from being put up there.
Protests continued in Epping on Sunday night, with police arresting three people.
An anti-asylum demonstration also took place in Canary Wharf on Sunday, which saw a police officer punched in the face and in a separate incident, a child potentially affected by synthetic pepper spray.
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