Snow to hit London tonight as Southeastern warns of busier peak trains
The Met Office has issued an amber “danger to life” warning for parts of the UK as icy roads and heavy snow up to 10cm deep is expected to settle a day after the cold snap led to disruption for airports and schools.
Hours of snowfall tonight could lead to between 3cm and 7cm of snow accumulating in London and around the southwest of England, the Met Office warned today, with 10cm expected at higher altitudes.
Read more: London prepares for significant snowfall this week
The Met Office upgraded its warning today as it said that cancellations and delays to rail and bus journeys are likely, while some vehicles could be stranded and rural communities cut off in the worst cases.
Power cuts are likely and mobile phone coverage could be affected, it added.
Commuters are bracing for chaos on Southeastern's rail lines, where the train operator is set to introduce a winter timetable tomorrow.
Southeastern warned some peak services will be busier while train times will be different, spelling potential disruption for passengers on their ways to work tomorrow.
“When the mercury plummets, even the lightest dusting of snow or rain can freeze and insulate the electric rail,” a spokeswoman said.
“This cuts power to our trains and stops them moving with any speed. By running the winter weather timetable, we enable trains to stop and start less which means they are less likely to get stuck.”
Several departures from London City Airport were delayed this morning due to poor visibility a day after airports in Manchester and Liverpool were forced to delay flights due to heavy snow.
Read more: Southeastern to activate emergency winter timetable
Further rail and air travel delays are possible this evening and Friday, the Met Office warned, as it said London airports could face disruption.
The warning upgrade comes after temperatures dropped last night to this winter's record low, with forecasters recording -14.4C in Braemar, Aberdeenshire, not far from the historic low of -15.6C in Holbeach, Lincolnshire, in 2012.