UK weather – Exact date sub-zero chill will end this week after Brits battled through days of freezing fog & icy roads

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© Licensed to London News Pictures. 22/01/2023. London, UK. A Walker enjoys a frosty Wimbledon Common in south-west London this morning as the Met Office warn of freezing fog and lows of -3c today and in to Monday. However, the cold snap is expected to lift by Wednesday of next week. Photo credit: Alex Lentati/LNP

THE cold snap that has brought freezing fog and icy roads will finally come to an end next week, according to the Met Office.

Temperatures will rise well above zero on Thursday amid some much-needed sunshine.

A walker enjoys a frosty Wimbledon Common in south-west London

A swimmer breaks ice covering the Serpentine Lake in Hyde Park, London


A woman jogs through a frost-covered Blackheath Common in South East London


The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for ‘freezing fog’ for Monday

But before the shift in conditions, Brits must first battle through four more days of wintry weather.

After a chilly night with nationwide lows of -9.7C in Benson, Oxfordshire, the mercury will struggle to reach much above 3C in southern England today.

London will see highs of 3C, Ipswich 4C, and 2C in Reading.

Northern regions and Wales will be much the same with temperatures in the low single figures, with only Scotland reaching close to double digits, Met Office weather charts show.

Tomorrow and Tuesday look similar, dropping well below freezing overnight before rising just above 0C come lunchtime.

There is also a yellow warning for freezing fog in force until at least 11am on Monday, which forecasters say will lead to “difficult driving conditions and could cause travel delays”.

The haze could be so dense in some areas that visibility falls as low as 50 to 100 metres, the Met Office has warned.

Journeys times will be longer on roads and railways, while untreated surfaces could become icy.

Flights could also be held up or cancelled, it is feared.

It follows days of similar warnings, most recent being one which expired at 11am today.

But things start to improve on Wednesday when -2C turns to 5C.

And eventually, the sun will come out on Thursday, raising both temperatures and Brits’ spirits.

Met Office forecasters say there will be highs of 7C in Brighton and Nottingham, 8C in Plymouth and Swansea, and 6C in Edinburgh on January 26.

Meteorologist Jonathan Vautrey said: “As we start off the new week, we could just see an ingress of the cloud across continental Europe wanting to push its way into eastern areas of England.

“Perhaps some brighter spells across Aberdeenshire and County Derry, but the best of the sunshine will be in that slice across central areas of England.

“We could see a good number of sunny spells, but mixed in that the cold air remaining in place.

“The rain and the cloud will make it feel not the most pleasant of days.

“As we move throughout the rest of the week, that gap of the brighter spells is going to slowly diminish and the cloud will push its way southwards and eventually we will see those clouds clear.

“Temperatures are going to struggle to climb until mid-week so it won’t be until Wednesday that the milder air really sweeps its way across all areas of the UK.”


Freezing fog lingers over Betchworth in Surrey


An abandoned lorry in Godney, Somerset as flooded roads turn to ice


A woman walks her dog through frost-covered grass in London’s Hyde Park


An colourful sky at sunrise over Glastonbury Tor, Somerset