Weather experts are warning that heavy snow and freezing temperatures may lead to the UK’s third named storm of the winter season 2024-2025.
Predictions suggest that Scotland could experience up to 3ft of snow in the coming days, with the potential for snowfall across the entire UK before Friday, as indicated by recent weather forecasts. Additionally, an Arctic blast bringing temperatures as low as -8C could affect Britain, prompting health alerts due to the severe cold.
The Met Office might officially designate the storm as Storm Chandra, according to Jim Dale, chief meteorologist at British Weather Services. He emphasized that the weather conditions are expected to remain uncertain throughout the week, especially on Thursday January 8 and Friday January 9.
Jim Dale expressed concerns about the upcoming weather conditions, mentioning a mix of freezing temperatures, fog, ice, heavy snow, freezing rain, heavy rain, and strong winds. He warned of potentially hazardous and continually unpredictable situations, with the likelihood of a named storm, Storm Chandra, forming by the end of the week.
If Storm Chandra materializes, it will follow Storm Bram, which was named on December 8 last year. Storm Bram brought amber weather warnings for strong winds in north-west Scotland and the Western Isles, along with unseasonably warm temperatures reaching 16C in some areas, significantly higher than usual for December.
Prior to Storm Chandra, Storm Amy was named on October 1, 2025, preceding a period of strong winds that affected the UK. The storm resulted in a fatality in the Republic of Ireland and left nearly 40,000 homes without power.
Today, heavy snow led to the closure of hundreds of schools, flight cancellations, and traffic disruptions in Scotland. Some regions reported up to 34cm of snow accumulation this morning.
Scotland faced amber weather warnings for snow until 10 am, highlighting the potential for significant snowfall and travel disruptions. Yellow warnings for snow and ice were also issued across various regions in the UK, impacting schools, transportation, and flights.
The Met Office reported snowfall measurements in several locations, including 34cm in Loch Glascarnoch, 27cm in Dyce, 27cm in Altnaharra, 19cm in Sennybridge, 9cm in Castlederg, and 6cm in Bridlington.
Amber warnings extended to Aberdeen, Aviemore, Ullapool, and other areas in Scotland, while yellow warnings for snow and ice covered wider regions in the UK, emphasizing the potential for weather-related disruptions.
Amber weather warnings are issued when severe weather impacts are likely, leading to travel delays, road closures, power outages, and safety risks. Yellow warnings indicate lower-level impacts on travel and potential severe weather conditions with less certainty of occurrence.
Amber cold health alerts were issued for England by the UK Health Security Agency, warning of adverse temperatures affecting health and wellbeing until Friday.
Overnight temperatures dropped to as low as -10.9C in Shap, Cumbria, -10.3C in Sennybridge, Powys, and -9.9C in Bala, Gwynedd, according to the Met Office.