Thread: At -21c UK is as cold as the South Pole

Biggest freeze for 30 years wreaks havoc (and there are 10 more days to come)

At -21c UK is as cold as the South Pole

By Beth Hale
Last updated at 9:53 AM on 08th January 2010

Comments 909

Deep freeze Britain was as cold as the South Pole as temperatures plummeted to a staggering minus 21c.

Amid increasing fears of an energy crisis, the country is locked in the biggest chill for nearly 30 years.

The mercury sank to minus 21.2C (minus 6.2F) in parts of the Scottish Highlands - considerably colder than some home freezers - with bitterly cold temperatures everywhere else on another day of widespread weather disruption.

Icy conditions have again left roads in a treacherous state and caused delays and cancellations for rail and air passengers. Hundreds of schools have also shut again today, resulting in a full week of closure for some children.



White-out: A Nasa satellite image taken at 11.15am yesterday shows the extent of the deep freeze. Only the tip of Anglesey, the Cumbrian coast and parts of Western Scotland are still green

Last night forecasters gave a grim warning of worse to come, with strong winds blowing in to add wind chill to already below-zero temperatures which could continue for at least ten more days.

The prediction came as the worst cold spell since the winter of 1981-82 continued to cause chaos.

* Factories had their energy supplies cut off as the severe weather and woefully fragile power infrastructure led to 1970s-style rationing;
* Education chiefs warned that hundreds of thousands of children could be forced to miss exams;
* Travellers faced a third day of delays as airlines struggled to recover from airport closures;
* Ministers were criticised for not implementing a report after last winter's big chill which could have left councils with increased gritting supplies;
* Millions of workers were told they would lose a day’s pay if they did not get into work.



Danger: A makeshift 'closed' sign was put up in Brislington, Bristol, yesterday, due to sheet ice on the road



Off-piste: A man makes the most of the snow by skiing down Dean Street in Newcastle city centre yesterday

Last night dwindling gritting stocks reached crisis point after a series of accidents on major routes added to difficulties for millions of drivers.

At least six people have died, including a 16-year-old boy, after the car he was travelling in crashed on the A1 near Richmond, North Yorkshire.

The teenager and his mother, from Hebburn in Northumbria, are believed to have been making their way to the hard shoulder after colliding with the central reservation when they were struck by a lorry.

Fire crews spent three hours trying to release the boy who had become trapped under the lorry, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.



Snow plough: A tractor clears the deep snow in Bredgar, Kent, yesterday




A spokesman for the North Yorkshire fire service said: 'The roads were treacherous. It was -6C and there were widespread icy roads.'

In South Yorkshire an elderly woman froze to death in her own back garden.

Widow Mary Priestland, 90, died of hypothermia as temperatures plummeted to -7 degrees.

It is believed she may have fallen while in the garden of her home in, Goldthorpe, near Barnsley or become confused because of the cold.

As the country's two major suppliers of rock salt said demand was outstripping supply, emergency measures to prioritise customers were brought in and councils were forced to ration supplies.

The weather crisis spilled over into Westminster where Tories claimed ministers had 'sat on' recommendations from a study commissioned after the heavy snowfall last February. This suggested that councils keep at least six days’ supply of grit, but some have already run out.

Tory spokesman Caroline Spelman said: 'The longer this disruption continues, the more questions ministers will have to answer.'



All bets are off: A bird's eye view of Cheltenham Racecourse yesterday



White houses: Residential streets in Gloucester covered in snow, as seen from the air yesterday

Supermarkets have seen a surge in sales of table salt and cat litter as householders try to clear their driveways and the pavements outside their homes.

Cheshire's Winsford salt mine said it has only a few days' supply of surface salt left. After that it will be dependent on salt from deep underground.

There were added fears last night because salt is said to be ineffective against ice below -8c (18f).

Insurance companies are already reporting a huge surge in claims as a result of the freezing weather, relating to both on the roads and at home.



Hardy: A jogger braves the snow in just shorts and T-shirt in Springfield near Chelmsford, Essex, yesterday



Treacherous: A pensioner falls on an icy path in Brislington, Bristol, yesterday as snow turns to ice

Many firms reported a spike of up to 50 per cent in claims, particularly for burst pipes.

Demand for gas has soared to record levels, forcing the National Grid to issue its second gas alert in three days.
Killed: Fireman Gareth Wyn Rees died after falling in snow

Killed: Fireman Gareth Wyn Rees died after falling in snow and banging his head

Swathes of homes were left without power after snow brought trees and branches down overhead lines. Nearly 4,000 homes in Hampshire were still without heating yesterday.

In the village of Kingsley - where nearly all homes have been affected by the blackout - the pub, the Cricketers Inn, was turned into an emergency haven. Villagers brought coal and logs to heat the building.

British Airways axed flights at Gatwick and Heathrow and easyJet cancelled around 70 flights at Gatwick, while nearly all train companies reported disrupted services.

Up to 100,000 Eurostar passengers face difficulties after the cross-home.

Channel rail firm axed normal services last night and announced that trains would run 'as and when' through the weekend.

As many as half the normal number of 25 trains departing from London's St Pancras every day are at risk of being cancelled.

Eurostar appealed to passengers to postpone or cancel their travel plans unless absolutely essential.

A spokesman said: 'We expect more than half the normal number of trains to run, but fewer than normal. It's very difficult to predict.'

A Eurostar passenger train got stuck in the Channel Tunnel yesterday, the second time in three weeks that trains have broken down in freezing conditions.



Icy: A jack-knifed lorry blocked the southbound A1 in County Durham yesterday causing massive tailbacks



After a two-hour wait the Brussels-London service was towed out of the tunnel and the 200 passengers transferred to another train to complete their journey.
Enlarge Pupils Face Exam Chaos.jpg

All other services were halted as a precaution.

Eurostar denied yesterday's incident was caused by the 'wrong kind of snow' causing an electrical short-circuit - the problem which caused chaos before Christmas - but blamed other technical faults.

However, the subsequent suspension of the timetable and the curtailing of services is being blamed on the weather.

Frontline services also continued to be stretched. In the latest death, a sports fan attending the World Darts Championships was found in a frozen lake near the competition venue.

The man, believed to be in his 40s, was discovered under ice close to the Lakeside Country Club in Surrey where the televised event is being held. Sussex Police reported there had been more 999 calls yesterday than New Year's Eve.
IGLOO
HARDMAN

Snow fun: Children eat dinner inside an igloo they built in Hook in Hampshire. Rick Hardman puts his skates on to enjoy the icy roads near his home in Altrincham, Greater Manchester

North East Ambulance Service also underlined it was under 'very challenging conditions'.
Maria

Born on the M53: Maria and Kevin Hollis with Maggie

In Northumberland, an angler was buried alive after the cliff face he was standing on collapsed under the weight of heavy snow and ice.

The sea fisherman was casting off the coast near Newbiggin-by-the-Sea when the 20-metre cliff crumbled, burying him under rocks and rubble 50ft below.

More than 50 members of the local coastguard and fire crews made a desperate three-hour bid to uncover the man but he was pronounced dead at the scene last night.

In Shetland, Scotland, a 71-year-old woman was killed in a car crash in icy conditions, and in North Wales, fireman Gareth Wyn Rees, 50, died after slipping in snow and smashing his head on the ice while walking home from his station.

In North London, a young man was fighting for his life after suffering head injuries in a sledging accident.

The victim, who is in his mid-twenties, is believed to have crashed into a tree in Alexandra Park at about 2.30am today.

London Ambulance Service treated him at the scene before taking him to hospital, where he is in intensive care in a critical condition.

One new mum, Maria Hollis, gave birth to baby Maggie on the M53 motorway sliproad after the ambulance taking her to hospital became stuck in the heavy snowfall.

Met Office forecaster Helen Chivers warned of more snow to come. 'The snow lying on the ground chills the air above it all the time so if you have clear skies the chances of really low temperatures increases and that's what's going to happen over the next few days,' she said.

Isolated: Children play in the snow in the village of Cow Ark, Lancashire, which has been cut off by snow for more than three weeks

Isolated: Children play in the village of Cow Ark, Lancashire, which has been cut off by snow for three weeks

'We predict that the north-easterly winds could get up to around 30mph over the weekend, hitting the bulk of England and Wales with a wind chill factor during the day of about - 8c (18f) in places and - 20c (-4f) at night.'

It was -20c yesterday at the South Pole, which is currently basking in its 'summer'.

http://tinyurl.com/ycd85vw

So much for global warming, eh?

. . . oh wait I forgot, if it's a hot summer, it's due to global warming, if it's a cold winter, it's due to global warming too.