The Met Office has issued amber weather warnings for snow in parts of London, the east and southeast of England today, warning that hazardous conditions caused by Storm Darcy could last well into next week.
The capital is experiencing light snow on Sunday. The forecast is for the wintry conditions to continue, with lows of -2c.
The Met Office amber warning suggests that the winter weather could result in potential travel disruptions to roads and rail travel.
Daytime temperatures are expected to stay in low single figures for most of the country, with some places staying below freezing and the bitter winds making it feel even colder.
Yellow warnings for snow and ice, covering the entire length of the UK, are also in place until midday on Wednesday. The torrid weather predicted has storm Darcy dubbed ‘the Beast from the East 2.’
“#Sunday Morning will be #cold for all with heavy #snow in the southeast. There will be snow showers elsewhere and a bitter easterly wind,” The Met Office tweeted.
“An AMBER warning is in force”.
Sunday's starting on a wintry note in some areas, with #rain turning increasingly to #snow across the southeast of the UK, and snow showers feeding into the northeast. Elsewhere there's some #frost and icy patches to contend with pic.twitter.com/BmOH78lX44
— Met Office (@metoffice) February 7, 2021
It comes as many parts of Scotland and northeast England could see 2cm to 5cm of snow, with 10cm to 15cm possible in regions above 200m.
Snow has already fallen in Scotland and the River Eden in the town of Cupar, in Fife, Scotland burst its banks.
Heavy disruptive snow is expected in southeast England along with 40-50mph wind gusts that could cause snowdrifts from today through to Monday morning, according to the Met Office.
Some light snow was already falling in London on Saturday morning but had not yet settled.
Meteorologist Sarah Kent said: “There will be significant disruptive snowfall across the South East.
“Within this area, there is a small chance particularly over the Downs of Kent and the North Downs that you could see 25-30cm of snow.
“It is a small chance but the threat is there, up to a foot of snow potentially combined with extremely strong easterly winds. Even inland in that area, gusting could be 45mph and higher than that on the coasts.
“This could lead to significant drifting of any lying snow and obviously blizzards for the snow coming past you for anyone who is attempting to travel.”
She added that the snowfall and cold easterly winds will not be as widespread as the Beast from the East in 2018.
“The easterly winds originate from Ukraine and the Black Sea – eastern Europe – the air will be cold but it will not be as bitingly cold as it was back in 2018.”
Public Health England (PHE) has also issued a cold weather alert for the whole of England from Saturday through to Wednesday.
Dr Owen Landeg, of PHE, said: “Cold weather isn’t just uncomfortable, it can have a serious impact on health.
“For older people and those with heart and lung problems, it can increase the risks of heart attacks, strokes and chest infections.
“So it’s really crucial at this time, especially ahead of a potentially very cold snap, to remember to check on frail or older neighbours or relatives, especially those living alone or who have serious illnesses.”
Storm Darcy was named by Dutch agency the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) ahead of its arrival in the UK this weekend.
Sharing the news via Twitter, KNMI said the “low pressure” system would push temperatures below freezing and bring “dangerous” conditions.
