Overview
- The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for snow and ice in northern Scotland from 6 a.m. Jan. 1 to late Jan. 2, with 10–20 cm likely, 30 cm or more on higher ground, and gale-driven drifting reducing visibility.
- UKHSA cold-health alerts are active through Jan. 5, with amber alerts in the North East and North West of England and yellow alerts elsewhere, signaling increased risks to vulnerable people and pressure on health services.
- Model-based maps from WXCharts/Met Desk show potential for widespread early-January UK snowfall, in some scenarios up to around 50 cm, though forecasters stress low confidence beyond the immediate period.
- A rapidly intensifying US storm is producing blizzard conditions from Iowa to Michigan, severe thunderstorms to the south and east, and sharp temperature drops, with more than 115,000 power outages reported late Sunday and portions of I-35 closed or unsafe.
- The National Weather Service cites dangerous wind chills near −30°F in parts of the Upper Midwest and significant icing in upstate New York and Vermont, with lake-effect snow expected to persist as colder air settles in this week.