As thousands continue to be affected by the near-freezing temperatures and deadly Storm Arwen, they are likely to see blustering winds and 5 days of heavy snowfall across Britain.
The latest weather data is predicting five consecutive days of driving rain and snowfall, with much of it destined for the north of the country.
Met Office issued yellow warnings about snow and ice for much of the UK. Snowfall will hit North East tomorrow, spreading across the country. Tuesday, however, is forecast to bring even more snow, as well strong winds and heavy rainfall for the remainder of Britain.
As heavier rains and snowfalls move in from the East, three additional days of heavy rainfall are forecast for the North. On Thursday, Scotland could see up to 4 inches of snowfall.
The Met Office stated today that “a large area of low pressure coming in from the Atlantic across the UK is likely to bring strong winds to many areas of the UK.”
Afternoon: Strong winds will be blowing westward through the morning. These strong winds will then spread to the inland areas and reach eastern parts in the late afternoon and evening. The forecast is for gusts between 45-50mph and 60-70mph on exposed coast locations.
It comes as thousands of partygoers delighted in a Saturday night tear-up despite widespread rain and near-freezing temperatures across much of the UK, as revellers could not wait to get into the Christmas spirit despite experts’ warning of the Omicron Covid wave.
The thousands of residents of northern England and Scotland still without electricity nine days after storm Arwen, which caused extensive network damage in parts of the UK, raises serious concerns.
Energy Networks Association (ENA), an industry association, released its latest figures this morning. They showed that over 4,000 households are still without electricity. The majority are in the north east.
People are bracing themselves for freezing temperatures. Northern England and Scotland will see temperatures as low as 1C (34F) tomorrow.
The latest weather data is predicting five consecutive days of driving rain and snowfall, with much of it destined for the north of the country (Pictured: Huge waves at Blackpool North shore yesterday evening)
Most of England should see heavy winds and rain by Tuesday. There is also snowfall forecast for Scotland and the North West.
Forecasters predicted that rain would hit the west coast of England this week. This could lead to heavy rains across the country.
As Christmas celebrations get underway despite the cold, revellers braved freezing rain to survive in Nottingham last night
Leeds’ city centre was filled with thousands of revellers last night, despite the heavy rain and severe storms.
It is concerning to see thousands of people living in Scotland and Northern England without power for nine days following Storm Arwen’s destruction. The Energy Networks Association (ENA) said that over 4,000 people were still without power this morning (Pictured: A welfare check is carried out on a resident of Weatherhill, County Durham on Friday)
Heavy rains hit Newcastle today, causing commuters and shoppers to be caught up in the downpour. There is more cold weather forecast for next week, with snow and wind, and even more rain.
Ofgem, the energy regulator in England and Scotland has warned that it will pursue network companies who failed to provide electricity within the timeframes set by storm.
Ofgem stated Friday that they were launching an evaluation of their response to storms which caused thousands of people without power.
It has also agreed with firms to lift the £700 cap on compensation which could be given to customers.
The change will allow those affected to claim £70 for each 12-hour period they are left without power, after an initial £70 for the first 48 hours.
BBC Radio 4 Chief Executive Jonathan Brearley stated: “We are deeply concerned for customers who have been without electricity over the past week.
“We are trying to find out the facts, and ensure that we know what happened. We also want to verify whether network companies met their obligations. We will enforce if they don’t comply.
A band of rain expected to fall on Monday, followed by widespread snow in Scotland, Northern England, the Midlands and North Wales. Pictured: Blackpool North shore
Temperatures are expected to remain cold this week, with lows of 1C (34F) in the north of England and Scotland : The sunrise over Whitby, north-east England
The east coast will continue to experience cold showers, while those in the west may see some sunshine. Next week the west is expected to face heavy rain and windy conditions. Whitby Abbey creates shadow
“We know what speed they need to get people on the system.”
We are sensitive to the challenges faced by these businesses. However, we do expect the network companies to work tirelessly in connecting people and to provide support.
Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister said that his thoughts and prayers were with everyone still affected from the devastating Storm Arwen damage.
“I’d like to say thank you to all the engineers and emergency responders who tried tirelessly to bring back power this week.
“I would also like to express my gratitude to our Armed Forces, who were deployed quickly to assist those most affected communities.”
The Ministry of Defence stated that 297 British Army personnel and Royal Marines were supporting civil authorities in the areas affected by Storm Arwen. These people are doing door-to–door checks and offering reassurance to their neighbors.
A statement stated that eighty soldiers from the Royal Artillery 4 based at Alan Brook Barracks, Topcliffe were deployed to Northumberland Saturday to support vulnerable individuals and to identify areas where more assistance is needed.
Ben Wallace, Defence Secretary: “Our dedicated Armed Forces personnel work side-by-side with civil authorities in order to provide essential support for communities affected by Storm Arwen.
The Ministry of Defence stated that 297 British Army personnel and Royal Marines were supporting civil authorities within areas affected by Storm Arwen. These people are doing door-todoor checks and giving reassurances to their neighbors.
While the rains are most heavy and widespread in the east and west, northern regions have more frequent and persistent rainfall and higher snowfall. Pictured: Sunrise over Whitby
Following the outage, MoD released images of Royal Marines of 45 Command in remote Aberdeenshire communities.
“We are all safer if we can quickly mobilize to help wherever in the UK it is required. This allows us to be able to ensure that our society protects the most vulnerable members of the population.
The energy regulator’s head has agreed to pay compensation for those customers not able to get their power back quickly after the storm Arwen.
Ofgem said Friday that it would be reviewing the response of its companies to the severe storm that left many homes without power.
The agreement between the regulator and companies means customers could receive more than the cap of £700 if firms are found to have fallen short of their obligations.
Jonathan Brearley is the chief executive at Ofgem. He stated to BBC Breakfast that they had done the following: “One thing they did already was they said to network businesses, and they agreed, they lifted the cap for the compensation they will offer customers, and they’ll ensure those customers do receive some compensation because of everything they’ve gone through.”
He said, “What we want, justly, is to establish facts and make sure lessons are learnt quickly. And, of course, we’ll pursue enforcement action if any obligations haven’t being met.”