Lowest temperature of -18C in Altnaharra on winter’s coldest night

Temperatures in a hamlet in northern Scotland dropped to -18C on Friday – the UK’s coldest January night time in 15 years.

The mercury in Altnaharra, which is in essentially the most northern area of the Highlands, plummeted at round 22:00 GMT, the Met Workplace mentioned.

It’s the coldest January in a single day temperature since 2010, when temperatures dropped beneath -15C a number of instances at places throughout the UK, together with -22.3C on 8 January in Altnaharra.

Forecasters mentioned they weren’t anticipating it to fall a lot decrease on Friday however there was a really small chance it may attain -19C.

It was -14.5C in Altnaharra on Thursday night time.

Greater than 50 colleges had been closed within the Highlands on Friday, with 13 shut in Aberdeenshire.

A whole lot of different pupils have additionally had one other time off because of closures in Moray, Shetland and the Outer Hebrides.

Temperatures for giant components of the UK are set to fall once more because the chilly climate continues.

Met Workplace meteorologist Alex Deakin mentioned: “Friday night time into Saturday morning could be the nadir of this present chilly spell.”

Cities and cities in Scotland may see -2C to -5C and the Highlands might attain -14C or -15C.

The typical low in northern Scotland for this time of yr is about 0.3C.

Met Workplace meteorologist Zoe Hutin mentioned: “Definitely a chilly night time to come back, particularly for these beneath clear skies within the east and the north and in rural spots as nicely.”

Cloud protection is retaining the temperatures from falling as low however it is going to nonetheless be chilly, Ms Hutin mentioned.

Saturday is forecast to be chilly too, and Ms Hutin mentioned: “We have nonetheless obtained tonight to come back, and tomorrow night time is also chilly as nicely.

“Temperatures for tomorrow night time, will probably be primarily jap components that see temperatures dropping broadly beneath freezing, so East Anglia, the north-east of England, northern and jap Scotland as nicely.

“So one other chilly night time to come back on Saturday, however then as we go into Sunday and into Monday, then we are able to begin to anticipate temperatures to recuperate considerably.

“I will not rule out the chance of seeing one thing round or simply beneath freezing once more on Sunday night time into Monday, but it surely will not be fairly so dramatic because the temperatures that we’ll expertise as we go in a single day tonight.”

Looking forward to subsequent week, she mentioned: “We’re saying it is getting milder however by no stretch does that imply (temperatures) are going to be above common – it simply will really feel comparatively way more nice than it’s for the time being.”

The UK has skilled a “significantly lengthy chilly spell”, she mentioned, including: “It has been getting progressively colder every night time this week, whereas taking a look at earlier years, we have had possibly two or three days the place issues have been significantly chilly.”

Throughout the nation, Scottish Water mentioned it had recorded a 30% enhance in bursts on its community of water mains, in addition to pipes in family and enterprise properties.

The corporate mentioned it anticipated an additional enhance over the weekend and into subsequent week as temperatures fall after which rise.

A spokesperson mentioned: “We are going to work to restore bursts on our community as rapidly as doable and, though it’s the property homeowners’ accountability to have bursts on their property repaired, we are able to generally assist with these.

“Scottish Water is monitoring the climate situations and its community across the clock and has groups of engineers able to be deployed each time wanted.”