UK weather forecast: 'Worst YET TO COME' as snow band expected to bring CHAOS across UK
LONDON is bracing for severe disruption in the early hours of Tuesday as the incoming "Beast from the East" prompts the Met Office to issue an amber warning for up to 15cm of snow around the capital.
Weather presenter warns 'worst is still to come' for UK snow
Dubbed the “Beast of the East”, the weather model sweeping across Britain could even bring winds feeling which will leave temperatures feeling as low as -15C.
ITV forecaster Martin Stew warned Londoners to expect disruption during the Tuesday rush-hour as the cold weather front threatens to carpet the capital with snow.
He said: "We’ve seen some flurries of snow but the worst is still to come.
"Tomorrow morning we have that amber warning in place between the hours of 2am and midday for the South East of the London area telling us to expect and be prepared for some disruption."
Mr Shaw added that some areas of London could see up to 15cm of "fluffy snow" starting as early as tonight.
He continued: "Out there tonight we can see it’s going to be cold and there will be some snow showers.
"They come in these lines: if you catch one of those lines of snow you could see potentially to 15cm of snow. that’s very unlikely but most it will be somewhere between five and ten cm or, if you are away from one of those bands, more like two cm of snow."
Up to a foot of snow will blanket swathes of the country by the end of the week as numbing gales whip up deep snowdrifts.
Sub-zero temperatures, ice and heavy wintry downpours threaten power cuts, travel chaos and loss of mobile phone signals, Government forecasters warn.
The Army is at the ready with hundreds of soldiers on standby to deal with “contingencies and emergencies” over the coming days.
Chart reveals UK will be hit with enormous blanket of snow
Amber warning in place for the South East of the London area telling us to be prepared for some disruption
Met Office meteorologist Charlie Powell said: “Unusually for Britain, the snow is going to be quite dry so it will blow around and gather in drifts and we could see some blizzard conditions.
“We don’t want to scare people but they should make sure they are prepared for some seriously cold weather.”
The Met Office added that snowfall through the week will cause disruption and forecasters warned with a significant windchill meant “some people are looking at the coldest spell of weather they will have experienced for many, many years”.
Met Office chief forecaster Frank Saunders warned Britons to prepare for icy roads, delays and widespread disruption to transport networks.
He said: “There is the likelihood of travel delays on roads with some stranded vehicles and passengers as well as delays or cancellations to rail and air travel.
“Some rural communities could become cut off. Power cuts may also occur and other services, such as mobile phones, may be affected.
The Met Office
There is now a 99 percent probability of brutal winter conditions posing a threat to Britain's elderly and vulnerable, it warns.
Campaigners have urged the most at-risk people to stay indoors through the coming days and stock up with food and essentials.
BBC News weather reported that train operators around the county have already warned commuters there will be less or no services tomorrow.
Train operators c2c warned passengers it will limit its services from Monday evening, advising people not to travel on Tuesday.
Greater Anglia will also be affected with reduced and slower services from Ipswich, Cambridge and Peterborough.
Speaking on the Today programme, forecaster Susan Powell said: “We have got some challenging weather, certainly for the week ahead. If anything, perhaps today comparatively one of the tamest days.
“Things I will emphasise, obviously it’s going to be cold, we are going to have widespread frosts, which means ice is likely to be a problem.
“The wind is going to make things feel colder. That will become more of a factor from mid-week onwards.