Rare ‘snow tornado’ spotted as Met Office warns UK will be hit by ‘blizzard’
A RARE “snow tornado” has been spotted in the UK as the Met Office warns the country will be hit by a blizzard.
Crofter Michael Peterson was out feeding his sheep in Shetland when he saw the meteorological event following a hailstorm on Tuesday.
He told BBC Radio Shetland he was lucky to be in the “right place at the right time”.
Snow tornadoes, or snow devils, are “a very rare phenomenon,” according to the World Meteorological Organisation.
They are formed when snow is picked up by gusts of winds, creating a vortex.
It comes as the Met Office has issued an amber weather warning and told Brits to expect “strong winds bringing blizzard conditions“.
As much as 16 inches of snow is expected in an area stretching from Stoke-on-Trent to Durham.
A separate amber alert covers Wales and the West Midlands and advises of similar “significant disruption”.
Overnight temperatures dropped to -16C in northern Scotland, making it the coldest night of the year so far.
It also marks the lowest recording in the UK in the month of March since 2010, when it hit -18.6C at Braemar in Aberdeenshire.
More “heavy snow” will hit on Friday, primarily across the Midlands, North East and West, and Yorkshire.
Forecasters warn: “Heavy snow is likely to cause significant disruption on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning.
“Strong easterly winds are expected to accompany this snow, leading to blizzards and drifting of lying snow.”
The amber weather warnings last until 9am and midday tomorrow.
Several milder yellow weather warnings for snow have also been issued, covering much of the nation from Wednesday to Friday.
Met Office chief meteorologist Matthew Lehnert said: “Snow will have settled quite widely in central parts of the UK as we move into Thursday morning leaving tricky conditions for the morning travel period.
“It will be another very cold night, especially under clear skies in Scotland where temperatures could get down to -15C.
“An amber warning for snow has been issued for the high ground running north in the centre of northern England as snow redevelops through the course of Thursday and persist until early Friday.
“Here we could see up to 40cm of snow accompanied by strong winds causing blizzard conditions.”
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has placed all regions of England under a level 3 cold weather alert – lasting until midnight on Thursday.
Agostinho Sousa, a consultant at UKHSA, said the chilly conditions could have a “serious impact” on people’s health, particularly the elderly, while Age UK has urged people to check in with their older neighbours and relatives.
National Highways has warned drivers in the West Midlands and the East of England not to travel unless their journey is essential.
RAC Breakdown said there was “an increase in breakdowns” in a zone stretching west from London along the M4 corridor and into Wales.