By CLAIRE SMITH
Published on Saturday 28 January 2012 00:41
SCOTLAND is about to be hit with the coldest February on record, with temperatures as low as –6C in some areas, forecasters warn.
After a far milder winter than the past two years, bookmakers have slashed the odds on temperatures plummeting next month.
Ladbrokes is offering a miserly 3-1 that February will be the coldest on record and 7-1 on the Six Nations rugby clash between Scotland and England, at Murrayfield next Saturday being postponed because of the weather.
The reason for the forecasts is an icy blast making its way to the UK from Siberia.
That will see night temperatures in many parts of the country plunge.
Alex Donohue, spokesman for Ladbrokes, said: “The imminent Siberian chill has whipped punters into a betting frenzy.
“We’ve had to slash the odds and take evasive action, as all signs point to a freezing February. The odds suggest the snow will wreak havoc.”
The Met Office has urged drivers to be careful, with roads likely to become treacherous.
Temperatures are expected to drop dramatically tonight, with patches of snow on the hills.
The Met Office said the icy temperatures, combined with a build-up of snow and slush, which fell on Thursday and yesterday, would make driving difficult.
Peter Sloss, of the Met Office in Aberdeen, said: “We’ve issued a warning for the whole of Scotland because of widespread frost. Temperatures will be sub-zero across Scotland.”
Tonight, temperatures could drop as low as –6C in high and exposed areas, with Glasgow and Edinburgh also well below freezing at –2C, and showers in the north.
South of the Border, too, it will be becoming increasingly cold, Chris Burton, forecaster with Meteogroup, said: “It is cold enough for sleet and snow in the higher ground, such as the Pennines and the Lake District.
“It’s looking like it will get increasingly cold through the weekend and into next week.”
Experts said high pressure from eastern Europe could clash with rain from the Atlantic to create snow on higher ground.
More wintry showers could fall in western areas of Scotland, tomorrow, with temperatures again predicted to drop below zero overnight.
Yesterday, a yellow warning issued by the Met Office advised motorists to “be alert” – saying conditions on the roads could be potentially dangerous.
The warning on its website said: “Icy stretches are expected to form on untreated surfaces, especially in places affected by showers. The showers will fall as snow above about 250m, but there may be temporary slush deposits to lower levels.”
The Met Office added: “The public should be aware of possible travel disruption.”
Snowfall and icy conditions in the west of Scotland yesterday caused problems for some motorists, with one report of a car skidding off the road at the A832 at Glascarnoch.
And forecasters warned that the change in temperature might herald freezing conditions in February.
The Met Office said: “In the early part of February high pressure to the east could bring frosty weather across the British Isles.”
Yesterday, after flurries across southern Scotland in the morning, the snow moved south to Cumbria and northern England.
