‘Freeze of the century’ is coming to England with snow expected | UK News

Did anyone order a Scandinavian-style ‘freeze of the century’?

Britain is set to be blanketed by ice and snow this week with temperatures dipping well below zero.

The Met Office and public health officials have issued an amber cold weather warning in place until Friday, warning there might be an ‘observed increase in mortality across the population’.

Behind this 12-day whiteout is an 800-mile-wide ‘Scandi shiver’ that has already frozen Finland and Norway solid.

Thankfully, the UK is unlikely to see the mercury decrease – or freeze, rather – by that much. Though, the 3-5°C daytime highs for many feel like 0°C.

After sunset, -7°C nights are expected in England during the chill, with -12°C in Scotland into next week.

Chunky jackets are, in other words, a must until at least January 20, the Met Office says.

A forecaster said: ‘You’ll certainly need that winter coat.

‘Icy patches are likely in Monday’s warning area in the south-east, and snow showers could turn quite heavy.

‘From Tuesday will be generally dry but cold, with a brisk wind in the south.

‘Towards January 15, colder air with snow showers may filter south as frontal systems from the southwest bring potential for significant snow and also perhaps heavy rain to the south.

‘From January 20 has the possibility of further frontal systems, bringing the potential for more widespread snow to parts of the UK as they butt up against cold air.’

Norway’s weather service said it recorded the coldest temperature seen in Norway in 25 years last Friday.

Kautokeino, a village located in Lapland just north of the Arctic Circle, saw a bitter -43.5°C.

Sweden’s northernmost weather station saw an even told -43.8°C as thick blankets of snow and strong winds trapped hundreds of motorists overnight last Wednesday in southern Sweden.

‘It is disgustingly cold,’ Linus Karlsson, a meteorologist for the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI), told local media.

Finland, however, is beginning to thaw out. Temperatures are set to rise by up to 40 degrees in the coming days – though, this means it’ll be about zero degrees instead.

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