UK weather: Rare amber snow warnings issued with 14 inches of white stuff to fall today after deadly -5C cold snap
BRITS are braced for up to 14 inches of snowfall today with the Met Office issuing two rare amber warnings.
Temperatures plummeted to -5C overnight as the country prepares for more sub-zero conditions over the weekend.
The Met Office have issued an amber alert for snow and ice which covers most of Wales and the north of England from 6pm today until 12pm Sunday.
Those affected have been warned there will be “a good chance” of power cuts and loss of services, as well as travel disruption on roads, railways and airports.
Regions like the East Midlands, West Midlands, and Yorkshire are among those in the firing line, alongside parts of Wales and London.
A second amber warning for snow, covering northern England runs from 9pm today to midnight Sunday.
Heavy snow is predicted to sweep across the country, with 3-7cm expected in many areas and a whopping 15-30cm over the hills of Wales and the Pennines.
There is even a chance of 40cm of snow for ground above 300m, said forecasters.
The Met Office has also issued a yellow warning for snow across England and Wales, stretching from Newcastle down to London.
This is in place from 12pm today until midnight on Sunday.
Elsewhere, another yellow warning for ice covers the entirety of Scotland and parts of Northern Ireland from 4pm until 10am tomorrow.
Meanwhile, health bosses have issued amber alerts for the whole of England from now until January 8.
Temperatures plummeted to -5C overnight into Friday in parts of Cheshire and Somerset.
Elsewhere, those in Eskdalemuir, Scotland, experience the same sub-zero figures on Thursday night.
The mercury dropped to the lowest point overnight at -8C in Benson, Oxfordshire.
Meanwhile, Shap in Cumbria felt temperatures of -7.4C, according to the Met Office.
It comes after a baby boy was killed in a horror crash on Thursday with police investigating whether the incident was linked to icy conditions.
Officers were called to the scene of a single-vehicle collision involving a yellow Honda Jazz on the A1 in Lincolnshire near Grantham just after 10.50pm.
The baby, a seven-month-old, was taken to hospital but was pronounced dead just after 5am, Lincolnshire Police said.
A statement added that police believed ‘icy conditions on the carriageway’ may have caused the crash.
Cops warned others to “stay safe” on the roads due to dangerous conditions caused by weather.
Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan said: “The snow will be persistent and locally heavy, with freezing rain bringing hazardous travel conditions before milder air starts to thaw things out on Sunday morning.”
The UK Health Security Agency warned a rise in deaths is likely, particularly among the elderly and people with health problems.