Temperature falls to -18C in north Scotland, a 15-year low for UK
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Altnaharra in Highlands recorded -18C on Friday night, the coldest January overnight temperature since 2010. Temperatures in a hamlet in northern Scotland fell to -18C on Friday – the coldest January overnight temperature in the UK in 15 years, the Met Office said.
Altnaharra, in the Highlands, first recorded the temperature at 10pm Friday night, with the freezing conditions lasting well into Saturday morning. It is the coldest January overnight temperature since 2010, when temperatures dropped below -15C several times at locations across the UK, including -22.3C on 8 January in Altnaharra.
Forecasters previously said there was a very small probability it could reach- 19C. Much of the UK endured below freezing temperatures overnight, with the mercury dropping to -11C in Shap, Cumbria, and Heathrow recording-5C. The average low in northern Scotland for this time of year is about 0.3C, while for England, overnight lows are around 1.5C to 1.6C.
The Met Office meteorologist Zoe Hutin said Saturday was forecast to be cold too. She said: “Temperatures for tomorrow night, it will be mainly eastern parts that see temperatures dropping widely below freezing, so East Anglia, the north-east of England, northern and eastern Scotland as well.
“So another chilly night to come on Saturday, but then as we go into Sunday and into Monday, then we can start to expect temperatures to recover somewhat. “I won’t rule out the risk of seeing something around or just below freezing again on Sunday night into Monday, but it won’t be quite so dramatic as the temperatures that we’re going to experience as we go overnight tonight.”.
