LONDON was blanketed in snow today as a big freeze gripped the UK – but up to 5inches of snow is still to come.
The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning following a day of crowded, snowy parks despite strict lockdown rules urging people to stay at home.
⚡ Read our UK weather live blog for the very latest news and forecasts.
Snow flurries fall around two London bussesCredit: �2021 Martyn Wheatley / i-Images
Heavy snowfall in BristolCredit: PA:Press Association
Londoners flocked to Primrose Hill – even though lockdown rules say people should stay at homeCredit: AFP or licensors
Flakes fall at Oxford circus, LondonCredit: AFP or licensors
Students from Edinburgh University taking a dip in the freezing weather todayCredit: Alamy Live News
A group of pals push a car across one of London’s snow-covered roadsCredit: �2021 Martyn Wheatley / i-Images
A woman braves the cold as she takes her dog on a walk through a south west London parkCredit: London News Pictures
Snow hit the south east today
Cops patrol frosty Richmond park in west LondonCredit: London News Pictures
An amber snow warning is in place for this evening
Woolly-wearing Londoners were seen at Hampstead Heath, Primrose Hill, Richmond Park and other beauty spots in their droves.
Pictures show crowds of poeple congregating atop Primrose Hill, with thick, white flakes covering the ground.
Flakes fell across the rest of the UK today too, with a whiteout forecasted to grip the nation until at least Wednesday.
The Met Office issued an amber warning for snow – which is expected to leave up to 5inches across the East and West Midlands.
From mid-week next week, rainy weather is likely to drench the country and spark further flood misery.
There are currently five yellow weather warnings for snow and ice in place across the UK.
Crowds flocked to the beach in TynemouthCredit: North News and Pictures
Crowds of walkers were seen in London’s parksCredit: London News Pictures
A packed car park at in TynemouthCredit: North News and Pictures
Walkers flocked to Longsands beachCredit: North News and Pictures
A romantic bloke pops the question in Shepton Mallet, SomersetCredit: Apex News
Four warnings for a combination of snow, frost and slippery ice are scattered across the UK.
A snow and ice warning is in place for the south west of England, including Plymouth but excluding Cornwall.
Another warning covers a huge chunk of the southeast including London, parts of Essex and Hertfordshire, Brighton and Kent, as well as eastern parts of Northern Ireland.
An ice warning is in place for the rest of Northern Ireland, including Derry.
Snow and ice is also forecast for the west and north of Scotland including parts of Glasgow.
A coronavirus snow ball spotted in Hampstead Heath, LondonCredit: Getty Images – Getty
A jogger with chilly legs seen in HighgateCredit: Gavin Rodgers/ Pixel8000
A flurry of flakes enveloped Rgeent Street, LondonCredit: AFP or licensors
A statue of Winston Churchill was surrounded by flakesCredit: Reuters
Cyclists brave the white stuff in west LondonCredit: Louis Wood – The Sun
A jogger braves the flakes in LondonCredit: Louis Wood – The Sun
The Midlands, most of Wales including Cardiff and parts of the south including Oxford and Bath are covered with a snow warning.
Brits flocked to beautyspots with packed scenes in London’s Primrose Hill – depsite a strict stay at home message due to newly emerging Covid strains.
People were seen frolicking in big groups in the snow as London’s green spaces were packed out.
A playful pup zooms through the snow in Primrose HillCredit: © 2021 Joshua Bratt
A family battle through the thick and fast flakes in DunstableCredit: PA:Press Association
A Primrose Hill pup looks alarmed as he skateboards down the hill with his owner Credit: Pacific Coast News
Edinburgh Uni students make a splasgh – despite temperatures of 1CCredit: Alamy Live News
Weather charts show temperatures plummeting to -2C in London and much of the South East throughout today.
Met Office chief forecaster Steve Willington said cold air from Iceland and the Arctic will bring with it “a mix of wintry hazards across the UK”.
He said: “In clearer conditions, overnight ice will remain a hazard, while a band of snow is likely to bring falls of 1-3cm quite widely across central areas of the UK, particularly the Cotswolds and higher ground in the East Midlands on Sunday.
Cyclists this morning braved the chill in Richmond ParkCredit: Rick Findler
A snow-suit clad youngster sledding on Parliament Hill in LondonCredit: Getty Images – Getty
A Range Rover battles through snowy conditoins in WarwickshireCredit: PA:Press Association
A snow plow clears roads in Lickey End, WorcestershireCredit: Caters News Agency
A nurse battles her way through the snow on the way to work in BirminghamCredit: SnapperSK
Deer huddle together to avoid the flakes in Bushy Park, London Credit: London News Pictures
A cop car drives on snow-coated roads in Flintshire, north WalesCredit: Alamy Live News
A biker rides through the snow in Mossley, Greater ManchesterCredit: Cavendish Press
“But snow outside these areas is also a potential hazard.”
According to the Met Office, a band of rain will cross the west of the south west of England on Sunday and turn to snow as it moves eastwards.
Up to 3cm of snow could settle, but areas of the country above 100m could see as much as 5-10cm. Dartmoor, the Brecon Beacons and Snowdonia could see as much as 15cm.
Meteorologist Simon Partridge said:”(The Midlands) is where we are going to see the snow lasting the longest.
“The band of snow that came through overnight stalled over the Midlands and will then track its way back over south-east England.”
He added that more snow was expected across the southern half of the UK in the next few hours, with sleet and snow showers also forecast across northern Scotland.
London was blanketed in snowCredit: Focus Images
Primrose Hill was packed with people, despite Government orders to stay at homeCredit: AFP or licensors
Trafalger Square’s iconic lion statues were covered with snowCredit: PA:Press Association
Snow-covered streets seen in LondonCredit: London News Pictures
Glastonbury Tor was blanketeed in a thick coat of snowCredit: Splash News
Walkers at Windsor CastleCredit: ©Doug Seeburg/2021
A pooch frolicks in the snow as two women use an umbrella to protect themselves from the snwoy deluge at Windsor CastleCredit: ©Doug Seeburg/2021
A cyclist braves the snow on the Long Walk in WindsorCredit: ©Doug Seeburg/2021
A woman and her dog enjoy the wintry weather at Windsor CastleCredit: w8media
Snowy skies shroud Windsor CastleCredit: w8media
Walkers in Bristol brave the snowCredit: SWNS:South West News Service
Some parts of Northern Ireland have seen 7cm but no more is likely to fall.
Mr Partridge said: “Our main focus is that it is going to be a really cold night, particularly across central and southern parts of the UK – so the whole of Northern Ireland, all of Wales, most of the southern half of England from the Midlands and southwards.”
He added: “Temperatures are expected to dip to between minus 4C (24.8F) and minus 6C (21.2F) quite widely tonight and where we get that snow lying in parts of the Midlands we could see one or two places where temperatures are as low as minus 10C (14F).”
A widespread frost is expected, and conditions are expected to be hazardous including spots of ice on the roads.
Meanwhile, people are being urged to heed flood warnings into the weekend, with the Environment Secretary warning of the possibility of more “challenges” in parts of England due to wet weather next week.
Londoners taking part in a snowball fight in Trafalger SquareCredit: PA:Press Association
A couple push their car through the snow in BuckinghamshireCredit: Scott Huntley/HVC
County Durham saw a smattering of snow after being blanketed in the stuff last yearCredit: Alamy Live News
Blizzards seen in BirminghamCredit: SnapperSK
Glorious pink and blue skys heeded the arrival of a thick layer of snow across the UK today, with this glorious vista captured in NorthamptonCredit: Alamy Live News
Trucks caught in Blizzards in GloucesterhsireCredit: Caters News Agency
Snow covered rooftops in CambridgeCredit: Cavendish Press
The Met Office today urged people to take care in the perilous conditions.
In a tweet, a spokesperson said: “Many places are waking up to #snow and #ice this morning.
“Warnings have been updated so take care and stay #WeatherAware.”
In a follow-up tweet, forecaster Rowan said: “A band of snow, sleet and rain are pushing east across the country today.”
Social media was flooded with snaps of snowy gardens, frozen ponds and wintry woodland.
The hashtag “Narnia” was trending on social media as people shared images of their snowy neighbourhoods.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan was also out enjoying the weather.
Brave sledders wrap up warm for snowy fieldsCredit: AFP or licensors
Londoners brave the snow at Alexandra PalaceCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Snowy scenes at Greenwich ParkCredit: Stella Pictures Limited
A somehwat misplaced ice cream van spotted in HighgateCredit: Gavin Rodgers/ Pixel8000
A brave ruinner talkes to the snowy streets of HighgateCredit: Gavin Rodgers/ Pixel8000
A womab braves the London blizzardsCredit: Gavin Rodgers/ Pixel8000
Two youngsters scamper through a snow-covered Clapham CommonCredit: Jam Press
Snow blanketed Clapham CommonCredit: Jam Press
He posted a video of his family’s golden retriever Luna spinning around the garden as the snow fell.
“Luna is loving the snow and hoping it settles,” he said.
The Met Office put a yellow weather warning in place stretching from coast to coast in southern England and ending just below Manchester.
The public were warned to expect some icy patches on untreated roads and pavements, with journeys by road and rail likely to be affected.
Highways England warned that the snow had caused collisions on the M3, M27 and M25.
The agency urged drivers to only travel if absolutely necessary.
But Chris Tubbs, deputy chief forecaster at the Met Office, said wet weather is likely to return from the middle of next week.
He said: “Once the certainty increases about which areas are most likely to be affected by potentially heavy rain, we may need to issue further warnings, especially if next week’s rainfall is likely to compound the impacts from this week.”
It comes as two thousand homes in Didsbury, Greater Manchester, were evacuated and residents relocated to nearby leisure centres and hotels.
A massive sinkhole suddenly appeared in the road in Gorton, Manchester, bringing two homes crumbling to the ground.
And heavy rainfall prompted fears of a landslip in Slaithwaite, Yorkshire as a house was seen dangling on the edge of a bank on the River Colne.
A soon-to-be snowy sunrise over CambridgeshireCredit: � Terry Harris
Snow covered rooftops in Greater ManchesterCredit: PA:Press Association
Snowfall in CambridgeshireCredit: GEOFF ROBINSON.
Walkers in WindsorCredit: w8media
Heavy snow fell throughout the night in South WalesCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
West Berkshire was blanketed in snowCredit: KAM / BEEM
A woman takes a snowy stroll in WiltshireCredit: � Andrew Lloyd
Dorset’s streets were covered with snowCredit: ©Graham Hunt
Bournemoth’s countryside saw a smatteing of the white stuffCredit: Bournemouth News
A snowy street in West BerkshireCredit: KAM / BEEM
Snow covers a boat in West BerkshireCredit: KAM / BEEM
Wales was blanketed in snowCredit: Wales News Service
Thick snow fell across the CotswoldsCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
