London weather: Temperatures dip below freezing overnight ahead of Storm Bert

London weather: Temperatures dip below freezing overnight ahead of Storm Bert

Temperatures dipped below freezing in London on Thursday night as a cold snap continues.

A map produced by the Met Office showed the mercury falling to as low as -1C in some areas of the capital.

According to the agency, the temperature in Woolwich, south east London was set to “feel” as low as -4C through the night. This figure is produced by taking other factors into account other than temperature, such as wind speed and humidity.

Overnight on Thursday, the Met Office said much of the UK experienced temperatures near freezing, with the mercury falling as low as minus 6C at Tulloch Bridge in Scotland.

The forecasting body said many will wake up to a frost with icy surfaces in places with several yellow warnings for snow and ice in place across the UK until 10am on Friday.

One covering parts of Scotland is in effect until midday before a slew of further yellow alerts for wind, rain and snow go live on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Met Office warned that Storm Bert would bring “heavy rain, strong winds and disruptive snow to parts of the UK through the weekend” and warned of travel disruption and potential flooding.

An amber alert for heavy snow and ice will be in force between 7am and 5pm on Saturday in an area north of Scotland’s central belt, where 10-20cm is likely on ground above 200 metres and potentially as much as 20-40cm on hills above 400 metres.

A yellow warning of snow and ice for much of Scotland, northern England and parts of western and eastern England and Wales is in force until 10am on Friday.

There is no snow forecast to fall in London over the coming days, according to the Met Office.

Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Dan Holley said: “Storm Bert marks a shift to much milder air and wintry hazards will gradually diminish through the weekend, but heavy snowfall is expected across parts of northern England and Scotland for a time on Saturday, especially over higher ground, and warnings are in place.

“Heavy rain through Saturday and Sunday, especially in southern and western parts of the UK, will also bring impacts for some with a number of warnings in place.

“We expect 50-75mm of rainfall quite widely within the warning areas, but in excess of 100mm is possible over high ground in parts of Wales and south-west England.

“In addition, rapid melting of lying snow over the weekend and periods of strong winds are likely to exacerbate impacts and bring the potential for travel disruption, as well as flooding for some.”