The Met Office, speaking following a spate of a aircraft tragedies, addresses the weather forecast for the rest of the week, which is bleak as temperatures tumble
A rare weather phenomenon – hazardous for aircraft – will blight the UK during the rest of the week, forecasters say.
Freezing rain, a rare type of precipitation that sees liquid freeze instantly upon hitting cold surfaces, will move across the nation in the coming days, most prevalent on the weekend.
And the Met Office website says freezing rain can bring down trees and power lines, and be dangerous for planes. Half term starts for many on Monday and airports are expected to be busy with tourists hoping to get away for the week.
Alex Burkill, meteorologist with the Met Office, said: “We have something a bit warmer coming in, but underneath it closer to the surface, we have some colder air plunging through, and now that’s important because it brings the risk of some freezing rain… It can cause some very icy conditions and could cause some problems.”
Speaking in an official Met Office YouTube video, Mr Burkill added: “There is this risk through this weekend and into the beginning of next week of various spells of freezing rain mixed in with some sleet and snow at times as well… Any snow, any freezing rain can cause some issues so we may need to issue some warnings for these nearer the time.”
It will continue to feel colder than the actual air temperature over the weekend, due to the bitter easterly wind. It will feel like -6C across County Durham and North Yorkshire on Sunday and Monday, and -5C across parts of Aberdeenshire on the same days.
But the air temperature isn’t significantly warmer – with highs of around 5C across the Southeast of England, including London, on Sunday. This isn’t expected to change severely until the end of next week for most regions, forecasters understand.
Freezing rain will impact many regions across northern England, including the Northeast of England. The Met Office says on its website: “The weight of the ice can sometimes be heavy enough to bring down trees and power lines, and the glaze of ice on the ground effectively turns roads and pathways into an ice rink. The freezing rain can also prove extremely hazardous for aircraft.
“Freezing rain is more common in other parts of the world, for example in the USA, where weather systems produce a lot of freezing rain. These are called ice storms, and if enough glaze collects on trees or power lines, the weight of the ice can cause them to break and can result in disruption on a large scale.”