'Beast from the East' to bring Britain's coldest day in five years - yet spring officially starts next week

Neal Baker
The Sun
Fri, 23 Feb 2018 07:15 UTC

Snow showers look set to bring travel misery as they hit the south of England over the weekend before spreading across the country

Britain could face its coldest day in five years as a brutally cold polar vortex - dubbed the 'Beast from the East' - sweeps in from Siberia.

This weekend will see temperatures plummet before lows of -10C hit early next week and snow sweeps in from southern England.

The Met Office is predicting highly disruptive snowfall across the country beginning in the South East.

Temperatures have already been low today and are expected to plummet further this weekend

A statement from the Met office said it is working with partners in road, rail and air transport to help minimise travel chaos.

From Monday, it warns to expect delays and cancellations of rail and air travel and that some rural communities could be cut off by road.

Bitter winds will make the already sub-zero temperatures feel even colder as Public Health England warns of the potentially deadly impact of the record-breaking chill.

Brent Walker, Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist, said: "There is potential for this cold spell to be the coldest for several years in the south".

Forecasters say the crippling cold could last for several days and into the following week even as Spring begins next Thursday on 1 March.

The last time temperatures plummeted this low was in March 2013 when a staggering -12.9C was recorded.

Today will bring windchill will bring temperatures into sub-zero

Cold weather warnings have already been issued through Public Health England as the NHS is expected to be swamped with patients suffering from weather-related patients.

Dr Thomas Waite, of Public Health England's Extreme Events team, said: "Remember keeping warm will help keep you well."

The Met Office says wintry flurries will begin in the east today as the weather feels "increasingly cold" with a "marked windchill".

Over the weekend it will become "even colder with widespread overnight frosts and bitter by day with a marked windchill".

Its forecast added snow showers will continue in the east and southeast on Sunday before becoming "more widespread on Monday."

Coral bookmakers cut the odds on next month ending as the coldest March on record to 2-1 in light of the worrying forecasts.

The weekend will continue getting colder as some places brace for temperatures as low as -10C by Monday

The crippling cold could last all of next week and into the following week even as spring arrives

Comment: More on the situation affecting Europe:

The northern hemisphere is experiencing a wild winter; elsewhere the situation is just as unusual:

• Brutal cold likely to make comeback in Northeast US following once-in-100-year warmth
• The polar vortex just split into a double vortex - cold temps for Europe will persist
• This brutal winter's record breaking weather documented in epic list - and it's not over yet
• Hawaii Island mountain summits buried in snow
• UK struck by 21 earthquakes in 50 DAYS including biggest in 10 years
• SOTT Earth Changes Summary - January 2018: Extreme Weather, Planetary Upheaval, Meteor Fireballs

Albeit at 2,423 m above sea level, this is not far off the coast of the Western Sahara!