The Arctic blast could send temperatures plummeting down to -5C over the weekend, blanketing areas of Britain with snow and leaving thousands without heating for a week. This is after storm Arwen decimated electricity lines throughout the country.
According to The Met Office, there will be a sudden snowstorm in Scotland this morning. Eastern parts of Scotland are expected to get 9 cm of white tomorrow.
Eastern parts of Scotland are predicted to have highs of 2C today while western Scotland could reach 4C – before temperatures fall as low as -5C at the weekend. WXcharts.com has shared weather maps that suggest even 12cm could be falling early next week.
Steven Keates (Media Advisor, Marine Meteorologist, Met Office) said, “It’s quite typical early December weather in the next few Days. The weather is generally cold with some snow.
“Snowfall is most likely to be observed on higher ground and will not cause any problems.”
He said that although we don’t expect any problems for our morning commute, it is possible to encounter some sleet and/or snow during the journey across East Anglia/SE England. It is possible to see some snow this morning in central/eastern England.
“Some snow on the mountains north of the storms, possibly as far south as Wales from Saturday’s showers.
After the devastation caused by Storm Arwen, thousands remain without electricity. The Army was deployed to assist them.
Around 130 troops were deployed to conduct door-todoor checks in northern Scotland. This is where around 1,600 Southern Electricity Networks and Scottish customers were still without electricity at 7am on Friday.
In freezing conditions, Walkers traverse a snow-covered field near Buxton, Derbyshire.
Today is likely to bring more snow to Scotland, before it moves towards the South East. Rain is forecast for northern parts. Highs in Scotland’s eastern regions are expected to reach 35.6F, while the western parts could see 4C (39.2F). There may be 3C (37.3F) or 4C in England on Thursday with sunny spells, then cloudy later. On Saturday, a band of rain will move towards the South East. Then it will be sunny with some wintry showers to the West. After early wintry showers along the coast, there will be plenty of sunshine Sunday.
A man digs out a car from snow in High Green in the Yorkshire Dales in the aftermath of Storm Arwen
Marines from 45 Commando are seen conducting welfare checks in Lumphanan, Scotland
According to the Met, there will be snow in hills over this weekend. This will continue into next week.
For those who wish for white Christmas, there are chances that their Christmas wishes will come true. Coral Bookmakers said that there were a 67% chance of snowfall in Britain this Christmas Day.
According to the Met Office, weather will likely become less stable around Christmas and New Year. There is also a greater chance for overnight fog and frost during clearer periods.
Durham County Council announced that 100 soldiers will be stationed in Weardale south of the border to support local communities.
Northern Powergrid was the North East and Yorkshire’s electricity distribution network operator. On Thursday evening, 6,000 customers were without power. But, power is back to 234,000.
Aberdeenshire Council’s chief executive, Jim Savage said that SSEN had told him they hoped to reduce the number of customers without power to 1000 on Friday. However, some might not be connected until the weekend.
BBC Breakfast, he said that it had been a difficult week for all families in Aberdeenshire. The communities have shown incredible support and assistance to each other as they work together to help people as fast as possible.
He stated that SSEN has sent hundreds of staff on the ground to go through the various lines and fix and repair as necessary. In the meantime, other services ensure safety and provide what the community needs in terms of food, heat, support, and accommodation.
“I think that the truly unfortunate thing is that there will still be people off into Saturday, so we ramp up support and continue to do what we can to help people through this extended period when the national infrastructure has gone down.
Steven Keates (Media Advisor, Marine Meteorologist, Met Office) said, “It’s quite typical early December weather in the next few Days. The weather is generally cold with some snow. The snowfall is usually seen on the higher ground, and should not cause too much trouble.
After the bus was stranded in the icy roads near Stonehaven (Abershire), a tractor tried to assist the driver.
Energy Networks Association published this photo of a power line that was damaged in snowfall at an unidentified location.
Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, stated that around 130 soldiers have been deployed to Grampian in northern Scotland. This region is home to 3,000 people who have lost heat and light due to 100mph winds which damaged power lines.
Soldiers from Gordon Barracks, before they were deployed in areas of Aberdeenshire that are still experiencing power disruptions
SSEN reported that power was restored to over 129,000 customers after Storm Arwen struck. This is despite what Chris Burchell, managing director of SSEN stated as “catastrophic damage” to the electricity grid.
According to company officials, most properties that are still without power can be found in rural or isolated areas with Aberdeenshire as the largest affected area.
Ben Wallace, Defense Secretary of the UK said: “We are always prepared to offer extra support to civil authority across the UK during their time in need. It is great to see units stationed in Scotland supporting local communities.
“Our dedicated Armed Forces will carry out door-to–door checks of individuals in their homes to provide essential support to the people impacted by storm Arwen.
The Durham County Council of England stated that the assistance came in response to a request by Darlington Local Resilience Forum, (LRF), for more resources.
John Hewitt (chairman of LRF’s strategic coordination group) stated: “We are doing everything possible to help residents who have been affected by power cuts, including providing emergency supplies and checking in to confirm that everything is okay.”
He said, “We are extremely grateful to the Ministry of Defence for their approval of our request for assistance and that there are troops already on the ground supporting our communities.”
Servicemen and women based in St John’s Chapel will visit residents door to door in order to assess their wellbeing and offer support if needed.
The team will provide information on the progress of work on restoring power and solicit feedback about any concerns.
Moment farmer rushes to dig sheep out of 10ft drift of snow after Storm Arwen
- Nev and Kate Barker braved the blizzards to save sheep from their Staffordshire farm.
- After Storm Arwen, a couple spent hours searching for their flock.
- Following a snowdrift of 10ft, the three trapped ewes finally were discovered.
- The weekend brought snow and ice to the area, with temperatures plummeting to 24.8F (-4C).
Jacob Thorburn for MailOnline
The dramatic footage shows the moment that a farmer couple was forced to remove their sheep from 10ft of snowdrift caused by Storm Arwen.
Nev and Kate Barker spent many hours searching for their lost flock after heavy snow descended on their Staffordshire farm.
The rescue team realized that three of their ewes were trapped beneath the snow. They had to quickly act to free them.
Nev and Kate Barker, farmers from Staffordshire spent hours searching for their lost sheep after heavy snowfall near their Staffordshire farm in the Peak District.
This dramatic video captures Nev Barker pulling one Herdwick sheep out of a 10-foot snowdrift in Storm Arwen.
Over the weekend, temperatures plummeted down to 24.8F (-4C), as snow and ice blanketed large parts of the Midlands region and northern England.
Nev is seen fighting through the harsh weather and digging a passageway for his sheep.
The couple encourage the animal to come towards them by clapping and shouting “Come on!” but it still remains on its back, slumped down on the ground.
It finally emerged after several minutes. The ice-encrusted wool on the ewe indicates that it was trapped for many hours under the snow mountain.
Nev, 48 and Kate, 49 have a smallholding close to Leek. They own 50 sheep, which they use for their breeding purposes and as wool.
Storm Arwen raked northern England last week. The pair initially didn’t seem to be bothered by their Herdwick flock, who are known for being tough.
On Saturday, they discovered that 37 of their sheep hadn’t been found after the snowfall of 10 feet during the night.
Nev digs through the snow in an effort to release the sheep entrapped at his smallholding, near Leek.
Nev calls the sheep to say “Come on, Come On”, but initially it seems that the effort of the couple was in vain
The pair realized that only 37 of their precious four-legged prize possessions had been found after snowfall of 10 feet during Saturday’s night.
Nev, Kate and their dog were walking through the property when they became more concerned about missing flock members.
Kate stated that the access to our fields was only thick and dense with drifts.
“We had to be up to our waists. It was so deep that we were only sinking. Panic took over.
“We crawled over the sheds to find most of them hiding there.
“We excavated the rear of the shed to make it accessible so that the flock could have some protection from the weather and water. The instinct kicks in.
However, some sheep were not found so the couple used the crook (above), to look for them in the bigger snow drifts.
Nev Barker (pictured) saves one Herdwick flock member during severe Storm Arwen conditions
A second group of rams was also dug out of similar conditions in another field. Their horns can be seen peeking through the tops of the drifts.
Some were missing so they used the crook to search the snow for them.
The three female ewes were found in an over 10ft tall drift.
Nev catches the first ewe using his hands and lures her away.
She was unable to get out of the igloo that she’d been trapped in for several minutes.
The sheep was joined by two additional sheep, who were then huddled together behind the herd. They were all brought to the sheds and allowed to rest. They were miraculously all healthy.
Nev saves a sheep with snow-encrusted hair after it got stuck under 10ft tall piles of snow created by Storm Arwen
After Storm Arwen caused 10ft snowdrifts, conditions did not return back to normal until Tuesday November 30,
The horns protruding from the top of the drifts made it difficult to see another group of Rams. They had to also have been dug out of an area similar in nature.
Nev is now a joiner, while Kate used to be a country ranger.
The smallholding they have is located at the Peak District National Park’s edge. Temperatures dropped to 24.8F (-4) over the weekend.
However, the thaw didn’t occur until Tuesday, November 30, three days later.
Nev stated that they treat their sheep as family members and wouldn’t be able to bear for them to go.
He stated, “It’s like you have your pet dog in the snow. You want them to get out and be okay.”
Kate said that the conditions were terrible. They are now running through the fields in amazement, as though nothing happened.
Kate Barker (an ex-country ranger) poses with her Herdwick Sheep, which she has kept at their Staffordshire farm.
Nev Barker, (pictured), works as a joiner. He crawled to the bottom of a snowbank and rescued sheep stuck beneath it.
Nev, Kate and their dog were walking through the fields of their farm when they became more concerned about missing sheep. Pictured: The sheep peeks out of a snow pile.