Yorkshire temperatures forecast to hit record low this week

As a new yellow “be aware” warning of snow and ice was put in place overnight and for today for coastal and eastern areas of Yorkshire, forecasters warned of more cold weather for the rest of the week.

There was also a warning that some of the showers may fall as rain but freeze on untreated surfaces. The temperature could drop to minus 6C tonight and tomorrow morning, which is well below the average.

Over the weekend, parts of Yorkshire were among the coldest in the country.

Yesterday morning the temperature dropped to almost -5C in Leeming and Linton-on-Ouse in North Yorkshire. The coldest place was at Shap in Cumbria which was down to -7.7C.

Last night, the Met Office said a small area of low pressure would move down the North Sea overnight, bringing rain, sleet and snow.

Up to five centimetres of snow could fall on inland areas above 200 metres with more at higher altitudes, while coastal areas are more likely to experience rain and sleet.

Forecasters are predicting the coldest night in Britain so far this winter.

Temperatures are expected to fall as low as minus 10C (14F) or minus 15C (5F) early today in parts of inland Scotland.

Some areas have already experienced freezing conditions with the temperature dropping to minus 7.1C (19.2F) in Dalwhinnie in the Scottish Highlands and minus 7.7 in Shap in Cumbria.

Met Office operational forecaster Calum MacColl said conditions would be “clear as a bell” in affected areas and urged people to wrap up.

“It only has to get past minus 9C (15.8F) and we’ll have the coldest night for winter,” he said.

That record was set on December 27, in Cromdale, Moray.

Snow showers are also expected to push into coastal areas in the north east of Scotland but severe yellow weather warnings for snow and icy conditions covering large swathes of the country have been lifted.

Drivers have been warned to take extra care. Over the weekend there were reports of road accidents caused by the ice.

In Cumbria, a man was lucky to be pulled from an icy riverbank at Sedgwick, near Kendal.

Cumbria Police Inspector Christ Wright said paramedics called in shortly before 9am yesterday with reports that a man had fallen onto the rocks.

Authorities were not sure if he had been in the water, nor how long he had been exposed to the elements. Temperatures in the area hovered below freezing overnight.

“The weather was against us this morning, there was thick fog in the area and we have had snow,” Insp Wright said.

“The male was found lying on an island in the middle of the river.”

It’s believed the man, a Lancashire local aged in his early 50s, had to be treated for hypothermia but is now recovering in hospital.

The forecast led to bookmaker Coral slashing the odds from 20-1 to 8-1 that the UK’s record low temperature of -27.2C (-17F) will be broken this year.

Coral’s Nicola McGeady said: “As Britain braces itself for freezing weather, we have witnessed an avalanche of bets on 2015 being the coldest ever.”