Sudden 'rare' weather event forecast in UK as Met Office explains freezing rain
Conditions will drop as low as -8°C by the end of the day as the Met Office issued yellow warnings for ice that are in place until tomorrow
Winter feels like it has truly arrived with many parts of the country set to experience freezing temperatures this week.
Conditions will drop as low as -8°C by the end of the day as the Met Office issued yellow warnings for ice that are in place until tomorrow.While snow hit the UK today as the UK Health Security Agency issued an amber alert for the North West of England, the Midlands, the South West of England and the South East of England until noon on Friday - meaning the entire health service could be impacted for an extended period due to the cold weather.
The chilly temperatures are also due to bring in a rare weather event this week, according to forecasters. Bands of 'freezing rain' are set to hit parts of the UK tomorrow if an interactive map by weather experts Ventusky proves correct.
The rain is due around 12am on Wednesday across the north east of England, from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne and stretching beyond the Scottish borders to Edinburgh. The Met Office describes this unique rain as a rare type of liquid precipitation that hits a cold surface and freezes immediately.
It goes on to say that the conditions required for freezing rain are very particularly and that the phenomenon isn't often seen in the UK - it is more common in the US. The forecaster writes that although the rain is visually impressive, it can pose a danger.
It explained: "It can produce striking effects, as the rain drop spreads out momentarily across the surface before it freezes, encasing the surface in a layer of clear ice. However, it is not just these eye-catching scenes which the freezing rain can bring; the weight of the ice can sometimes be heavy enough to bring down trees and power lines, and the glaze of ice on the ground effectively turns roads and pathways into an ice rink. The freezing rain can also prove extremely hazardous for aircraft."
Precipitation first falls from a cloud as snow before descending through warmer air and turning to rain droplets. However, on rare occasions, freezing rain occurs when it then falls through cold air again before landing on the ground. The Met Office goes on: "This means that they are still falling in liquid form, even though their temperature has fallen below zero.
"When this ‘supercooled’ droplet hits the ground (which is below zero too) it spreads out a little on landing, and then instantly freezes, encasing the surface in a layer of clear ice. This is why it is called freezing rain."
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