Snow and ice are expected in parts of England in the next 24 hours as temperatures plummet, with over 170 flood warnings still in force across the country.
New weather warnings have been issued by the Met Office, warning of snow showers that could become “very heavy” tomorrow.
A yellow warning will be in effect from 4am on Monday, meaning ice and snow is expected to cause disruption to road and rail travel in Greater London, parts of Kent, parts of Surrey, parts of East Sussex and parts of West Sussex.
In the meantime, the Met Office has issued an Amber cold-health warning for the north west of England, west Midlands, east Midlands and south west of England, which will remain in effect until Friday.
A yellow cold-weather warning remains in effect for most of next week in the north east of England, Yorkshire, the Humber, east of England, south east of England and London.
This comes at a time when many areas of the country are still recovering from the effects of Storm Henk which caused extensive flooding and killed two people, and with over 170 flood alerts still in force.
According to the Met Office’s yellow weather warning, temperatures will drop to almost zero early on Monday morning as a ‘snow and sleet mix’ sets in.
Monday morning journeys can take longer, according to the Met Office. They advise people to take extra time and to stick to main roads if they are walking or cycling.
Overnight frosts and fog and stretches of icy road and pavements are likely at this time with clearer skies and light winds, according to Sky Weather presenter Jo Wheeler.
A cold air mass is moving into the southern parts of the country today, with the possibility of early-evening showers falling as sleet, or snow, over the higher elevations.
With temperatures near freezing at night, even in cities and towns, there’s a chance that showers could fall on a frozen surface and immediately turn to ice. The yellow ice warning will expire at 10 am on Monday.
A cold-health alert of amber means the impact of cold weather is likely to affect the whole of the health service for a prolonged period of time, potentially putting the whole of the population at risk, according to the latest update.
For those with pre-existing conditions or over 65, the UK Health Security Agency (HSCA) has advised people to be extra careful in the cold and to “warm up” the rooms where they spend most of their time in the coming days.
Parts of the country are already struggling to get to where they need to go, with rail links from London Paddington to Heathrow Airport to Reading disrupted for the first time this morning.
Overhead wire damage resulted in delays of up to one hour, and timetables were adjusted accordingly.
There are still 172 flood warnings in England and 176 flood alerts, according to the Environment Agency.
More than 1,800 properties in the UK have been affected by flooding, and the Environment Agency has warned that more could be affected in the next few days as river levels continue to rise and more rain is expected.
Chertsey cottage owner Debbie Carling, who has lived in Chertsey for 17 years, told Sky News that she is growing increasingly concerned about the impact of rising water levels on her family home. She added that three out of four incidents of heavy flooding in Chertsey have happened in the past two years.
The basement of her home was flooded in 2014 and she spent “a substantial amount” of money on an automated system that pumps out floodwaters. She said the system has been pumping continuously for more than a week.
We are currently at the highest level and need it to begin to recede fairly quickly, she said. “We’ve put a lot of stuff in storage over the last couple of days.”
Cleveland Pools, the UK’s oldest lido, is closed after flooding in Somerset. The lido opened to the public again last year after being refurbished for £9.3 million.
Storm Henk wreaked havoc across the UK earlier this week, and today the Government has been urged to “feel the floodwaters rising” amid concerns that climate change is increasing the risk of extreme weather events.
The UK government has announced a funding package for areas of the country that have experienced extreme localised flooding.
Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, has visited Oxfordshire to address the concerns of the local community following the floods.
The Prime Minister visited door-to-door locations and met Environment Agency staff at a depot close to a road that remains flooded.
Mr Sunak addressed the media alongside the River Thames. He said: “The floods have caused huge disruption to communities across the country. Last week I visited the East Midlands and today I am here in Oxfordshire to talk to some of the people who have been affected. I also want to thank the first responders for their hard work over the last week.
Over 1,000 staff from the Environment Agency are working in local communities to support flood defences, with over 200 pumps already in place.
We have invested £5,2 billion into flood defences across the country over the period, which is a record amount and significantly more than we have invested (in the past) in flood defences in the future, helping to protect more than 300,000 properties.
While over 49,000 people have been impacted by the events of the past week, flooding has also been a major factor.
