-at last as Britain braces itself for eight inches of snow
Britain is bracing itself for a ?bitterly cold? day which will see up to eight inches of snow falling in some areas of the country, forecasters have warned.
Temperatures are expected to plummet to 4c during the day, but a strong north-easterly wind will make it feel much colder.
Showers of rain are expected during the morning, but by about 5pm this will turn into snow, particularly over London and eastern England.
It's cold to trot: A pair of riders guide their horses through Richmond Park, Surrey
The Met Office has warned homeowners to expect between 5cm and 10cm of snowfall ? but this could increase to 20cms on higher ground.
The East Midlands and south east will also be affected.
Snow will continue to fall overnight, with temperatures falling to -4c.
?Heavier snow showers are likely in eastern regions on Thursday and Friday,? a Met Office forecaster said.
A sprinkling of snowflakes turned Britain into a winter wonderland for many yesterday, but left bookmakers shivering with fear.
The light dusting came after days of bitterly cold weather, covering parts of England in a thin blanket of snow.
Despite the wintry conditions, with temperatures plunging below -7c yesterday, forecasters say it is too early to predict a white Christmas. This hasn't comforted nervous bookmakers, who are set to pay out millions if snow does fall on December 25.
Rupert Adams, of William Hill, said: 'The million-pound snowflake is something that we have always talked about in hushed tones and for the first time this millennium it looks like we could get collared.
There is unlikely to be much festive cheer in our office this year.'
The bookmaker said it had seen a surge in betting for a white Christmas, with the odds of
snow in London on Christmas Day slashed from 8/1 to 5/2 - close to the shortest price ever offered in England.
One gambler from Derbyshire stands to collect more than ?14,000 if it snows on Christmas Day.
Today, rural areas should see up to four inches of snow settling on the ground, with Kent and East Anglia set to be the best locations for a snowball fight. On higher ground there could be falls of up to eight inches.
Rail bosses are ready to run empty 'ghost trains' through the night to displace excess snow and stop it building up on the tracks.
The Met Office said the snow flurries were set to continue well into the weekend with the coldest temperatures expected on Sunday, when the snow may start to move north.
A forecaster said there was a chance of milder weather into next week but added: 'It's definitely time to dig the woollies out.'
Winter wonderland: Skaters enjoy the winter weather at Somerset House Ice Rink in London
Heavenly: St Paul's Cathedral in the snow
Enlarge
The AA said that motorists across Britain could face difficulties as only half of all local authorities had salt stocks for gritting roads that would last for six days of continuous freezing weather.
The organisation's president Edmund King said he had sought assurances from the Local Government Association there would not be a repeat of the February snow chaos on the roads.
He said local authorities' reliance on supermarket-style 'just in time' deliveries left too many of them vulnerable.
Mr King said: 'Around 1,000 people are killed or seriously injured on snowy and icy roads each winter and hospital casualty departments are often inundated with people who have slipped and fallen.
'Investing in ice and snow clearance, to save elsewhere down the line, makes total sense.'
Although no weather-related problems were immediately reported on London's transport network, bosses will be eager to avoid a repeat of the major disruption caused by previous cold snaps.
Met Office spokeswoman Sarah Holland said there could be transport disruptions later in the week as the snow became heavier and urged people to keep up to date with forecasts: 'Anyone driving should be keeping up to date with traffic and highway updates and looking at our website and the BBC'.
As snow falls, a stag takes stock in Richmond Park
This barn owl looked bewildered by the snow in Chessington World of Adventures and Zoo in Surrey
Britain is bracing itself for a ?bitterly cold? day which will see up to eight inches of snow falling in some areas of the country, forecasters have warned.
Temperatures are expected to plummet to 4c during the day, but a strong north-easterly wind will make it feel much colder.
Showers of rain are expected during the morning, but by about 5pm this will turn into snow, particularly over London and eastern England.
It's cold to trot: A pair of riders guide their horses through Richmond Park, SurreyThe Met Office has warned homeowners to expect between 5cm and 10cm of snowfall ? but this could increase to 20cms on higher ground.
The East Midlands and south east will also be affected.
Snow will continue to fall overnight, with temperatures falling to -4c.
?Heavier snow showers are likely in eastern regions on Thursday and Friday,? a Met Office forecaster said.
A sprinkling of snowflakes turned Britain into a winter wonderland for many yesterday, but left bookmakers shivering with fear.
The light dusting came after days of bitterly cold weather, covering parts of England in a thin blanket of snow.
Despite the wintry conditions, with temperatures plunging below -7c yesterday, forecasters say it is too early to predict a white Christmas. This hasn't comforted nervous bookmakers, who are set to pay out millions if snow does fall on December 25.
Rupert Adams, of William Hill, said: 'The million-pound snowflake is something that we have always talked about in hushed tones and for the first time this millennium it looks like we could get collared.
There is unlikely to be much festive cheer in our office this year.'
The bookmaker said it had seen a surge in betting for a white Christmas, with the odds of
snow in London on Christmas Day slashed from 8/1 to 5/2 - close to the shortest price ever offered in England.
One gambler from Derbyshire stands to collect more than ?14,000 if it snows on Christmas Day.
Today, rural areas should see up to four inches of snow settling on the ground, with Kent and East Anglia set to be the best locations for a snowball fight. On higher ground there could be falls of up to eight inches.
Rail bosses are ready to run empty 'ghost trains' through the night to displace excess snow and stop it building up on the tracks.
The Met Office said the snow flurries were set to continue well into the weekend with the coldest temperatures expected on Sunday, when the snow may start to move north.
A forecaster said there was a chance of milder weather into next week but added: 'It's definitely time to dig the woollies out.'
Winter wonderland: Skaters enjoy the winter weather at Somerset House Ice Rink in London Heavenly: St Paul's Cathedral in the snowEnlarge
The AA said that motorists across Britain could face difficulties as only half of all local authorities had salt stocks for gritting roads that would last for six days of continuous freezing weather.
The organisation's president Edmund King said he had sought assurances from the Local Government Association there would not be a repeat of the February snow chaos on the roads.
He said local authorities' reliance on supermarket-style 'just in time' deliveries left too many of them vulnerable.
Mr King said: 'Around 1,000 people are killed or seriously injured on snowy and icy roads each winter and hospital casualty departments are often inundated with people who have slipped and fallen.
'Investing in ice and snow clearance, to save elsewhere down the line, makes total sense.'
Although no weather-related problems were immediately reported on London's transport network, bosses will be eager to avoid a repeat of the major disruption caused by previous cold snaps.
Met Office spokeswoman Sarah Holland said there could be transport disruptions later in the week as the snow became heavier and urged people to keep up to date with forecasts: 'Anyone driving should be keeping up to date with traffic and highway updates and looking at our website and the BBC'.
As snow falls, a stag takes stock in Richmond Park This barn owl looked bewildered by the snow in Chessington World of Adventures and Zoo in Surrey
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