UK weather temperatures soar by 15 degrees in a day
Sunday was the UK’s last day of its cold snap, as temperatures have risen overnight and are expected to reach highs of 14C on Monday.
The end of the cold snap will be welcomed by many after the freeze led to travel disruptions and some power cuts.
The warmer air is heading in from the Atlantic and is causing temperatures to rise as much as 15 degrees in 24 hours.
Yellow weather warnings for rain are in place until 06:00 on Tuesday in southern England and South Wales.
The wet weather could make congestion on the roads worse in the run-up to Christmas.
The Met office’s website said journey times might be longer due to “spray and flooding on the roads.”
Bus and train journeys may also see delays, the website added.
Brighton, Plymouth and Portsmouth in the South of England, and Newport in Wales are expected to be hit the hardest with rain.
Wet weather amid train strikes
People may plan to travel via road as thousands of members of the RMT union are set to strike from 18:00 on Christmas Eve.
The RAC predicts 7.9 million journeys will be made over the two days immediately before Christmas Day – the worst congestion is expected between 10:00 and 19:00 on Friday and between 12:00 and 13:00 on Saturday.
RAC spokesman Rod Dennis said: “If possible, drivers should try to make their trips on a quieter day earlier this week if they possibly can.”
The AA has issued an amber traffic warning for Friday and Saturday and has urged motorists to carry out car checks such as level of fuel, oil, coolant and screen wash.
UK weather – flood alerts issued across country
Much of the country had warnings for snow, ice and rain on Sunday, with BBC Weather describing the temperatures as “bitterly cold.”
Both nighttime and daytime temperatures are set to increase over the next couple of days – with maximum daytime temperatures across the UK ranging from 11C to 14C, according to the Met Office’s Marco Petagna.
He said temperatures in the low teens were not uncommon for this time of year but going from very cold to very mild in a day is quite unusual.
There are currently 13 flood warnings in place for southwest England, including south Devon, through to Monday. This warning means flooding is expected.
There have been a total of 41 flood alerts issued across the country.
