The Met Office says temperatures across the country will now rise after the coldest nights in 15 years. Temperatures dropped again overnight on Saturday and hit around -15C, the Met Office said.
It came after temperatures plummeted to -18.9C on Saturday morning in Altnaharra, which is in the most northern region of the Highlands and was the UK’s coldest January night in 15 years. The average low in northern Scotland for this time of year is about 0.3C, while for England, overnight lows are about 1.5C to 1.6C.
Temperatures ranged between the far north and south of the UK during the day on Saturday, with maximums of 11.3C recorded on the Isles of Scilly and minus 9.3 in Altnaharra.
Zoe Hutin, Met Office meteorologist, said rural spots in Scotland could reach minus 15C on Saturday night, which is about 10C lower than the average for this time of year. She said: “This is probably the last very, very cold night expected, we’ve got a trend towards something a little bit milder.”
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has extended its cold weather health alert for all of England until Tuesday. Amber alerts have been extended and will now run until January 14, meaning a rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions, is likely, the agency said.
Sunday day will see an east/west divide with a maximum of 3C or 4C in the east, while the west could see between 7C and 8C or potentially 9C.