Temperatures to plummet this week as Storm Barra hits the UK

Thousands are still without power from Storm Arwen

Author: Rory GannonPublished 6th Dec 2021

People are being told to braces themselves for cold temperatures and gale-force winds as Storm Barra races towards the UK.

Wind weather warnings are in force across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, while heavy snowfall is expected to hit Scotland. Temperatures are also going to fall to freezing levels, likely to disrupt travel, particularly on higher roads.

Estimates of between 2 and 5 centimetres of snow are expected to fall in some areas, with 10 to 20 centimetres due to fall on higher ground, such as in the Scottish Highlands.

People could also be left stranded as gusts at speeds as strong as 50 miles per hour are set to batter the country, following on from wet and already windy weather on Sunday and Monday.

Power cuts could also occur, and heating and mobile phone coverage could be affected by blizzards created by the storm.

The Met Office also warned that with the severe weather, some rural communities could be left completely cut off, with trains and air travel also having the potential to be cancelled.

It comes ten days after Storm Arwen caused thousands of homes to lose power across Scotland and the North of England.

On Sunday afternoon, over 3,000 households were still waiting for heating and hot water to come back. This was down from over 4,000 that morning.

Speaking about the task, Met Office meteorologist Simon Partridge said that the extreme wind would not make it easy to reconnect homes.

"It's certainly not going to aid things with those sorts of wind strengths, and a mixture of rain and snow in there as well," he said.

Regulator Ofgem has warned that it will take enforcement action against companies who fail to make an effort to end the delays.

It also agreed to lift the £700 cap for compensation to be offered to people affected by the power cuts.

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