UK weather map: Where will cold hit as temperatures could dip to -20C?

An amber health alert for England has been extended to Tuesday as the cold snap is set to continue with temperatures falling to as low as -20C on Friday night.

The rare warning issued by the UK Health Security Agency means the cold weather is likely to impact the health service, potentially putting some people at risk.

It comes after the UK recorded its coldest night of this winter so far with the temperature falling to -14C in Altanharra, northern Scotland, according to the Met Office.

Friday night could see even lower temperatures in parts of Scotland and northern England, with temperatures between minus 15C and minus 20C possible.

The Met Office said: “Amounts of snow are uncertain – probably small and confined to high ground, but there is a risk of icy surfaces in places. Much of the rest of the UK will have another dry and bright day but remaining very cold, with few freezing fog patches lasting all day.”

Rain, sleet and some snow are set to move into the south west of England on Friday, leading to some icy stretches, a five-day forecast from the Met Office said. Hill snow, cloud and patchy rain will continue into the night.

Across the UK it will continue to be cold into the night, with temperatures falling to as low as -20C in northern England and Scotland. Light winds will lead to clear spells, allowing more frost and freezing fog into Saturday, when temperatures will see a maximum of between 1C and 5C.

The Met Office said the West could expect some hill snow and rain on Saturday, while the rest of the country will face cold sunny spells and light winds. Sunday will be milder, but will remain cold.

Met Office meteorologist Liam Eslick said said: “We probably don’t really expect many places to get close to minus 20C, but we could see one or two places that could just touch that mark overnight Friday into Saturday.

“Just because it’s, again, still conditions, it’s high pressure, not a lot of wind and under clear skies as well.

“Especially where there’s still snow on the ground across Scotland and northern England, that’s sort of a perfect scenario to see those temperatures just plummet from Friday night into Saturday morning as well.”

Already, the cold spell has brought heavy snowfall to many parts of the country, as a number of flood alerts and warnings were issued in England to account for heavy rain or melting snow.

The Met Office issued five yellow weather warnings for snow and ice until Friday at 10am following days of wintry conditions across the country weather.

Many faced travel disruption from the severe weather with major roads closed and railway lines blocked amid flooding this week.

Manchester airport’s runways were closed early on Monday morning because of heavy snow but have since reopened.

Hundreds of schools across the country faced closure due to the adverse weather conditions, with nearly 200 schools closed in Bradford alone.

In England, the Environment Agency has 95 flood warnings in place, although in the last 24 hours, they removed 65 of them.

In the Commons, environment minister Emma Hardy told MPs flooding was “a personal priority” for her, adding that the Environment Agency was particularly concerned about Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Warwickshire and Nottinghamshire.