The mercury may have tipped below zero overnight with the region waking up to a blanket of snow, but that didn’t stop wild swimmers heading out at the North East coast this morning.
Cold water swimmers were photographed at Cullercoats Bay and Tynemouth Longsands, while many were on their usual dog walks through the frosty streets of Whitley Bay on Friday morning. A yellow weather warning for snow and ice is set to remain in place until 11am on Friday, with light snow still falling on many parts of the region.
A amber cold health alert remains in place for the North East from the UK Health Security Agency and the Met Office, and will do so until Tuesday. The alert is also in place for the East and West Midlands, North West, and Yorkshire and the Humber, meaning “cold weather impacts are likely to be felt across the whole health service for an extended period of time”.
Temperatures could drop as low as -10 in some parts of Scotland and the North York Moors, and 2 – 5cm of snow is expected in areas 100 – 200 metres above sea level. A handful of schools have closed in County Durham due to snow and ice, while there has been disruption on the region’s roads and railways.
The Met Office said of today’s weather: “Frosty start with any freezing fog patches slow to clear. Otherwise a fine, dry but cold day for most with sunny spells. A few wintry showers will continue to feed into some eastern coastal areas. Maximum temperature 3 °C.
And of tonight: “Very cold with clear spells and widespread frost. Wintry showers into eastern coastal areas increasingly staying offshore, with some icy patches possible on untreated surfaces. Freezing fog patches developing inland. Minimum temperature -5 °C.”
Source: Chronicle Live