Frosty mornings and cold nights expected as Shropshire heads into the New Year

The final day of the year will bring bitterly cold wintry showers and widespread frost for many, forecasters have said.

Temperatures in the county will stay around 3C during the day, with temperatures of -1C during the night – meaning a frosty morning.

There are flood alerts still in place for the county, especially on the River Severn in Shrewsbury and the Severn Vyrnwy confluence near Oswestry.

The Government's flood alert service said: "River levels remain high but are beginning to fall at the Buildwas & Bridgnorth river gauges following recent heavy rainfall.

"We expect flooding to affect low lying land and roads adjacent to the river from Shrewsbury to Upper Arley. Locations that may be affected, White Abbey, Gravel Hill Lane Shrewsbury, Coalbrookdale, Ironbridge, Bridgnorth, access to properties along Riverside in Bridgnorth & Leighton.

"Further wintery shower are forecast for the remainder of the week. We expect river levels to remain high over the next couple of days.

"We are closely monitoring the situation. Our incident response staff are checking defences. Please avoid contact with flood water."

There is a yellow snow and ice warning in place for much of north Shropshire including Oswestry, Wem and Whitchurch today. This means people will probably see some icy patches on some untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths.

Sleet

People should be careful not to slip on icy surfaces. Some roads and railways likely to be affected with longer journey times by road, bus and train services

Temperatures across the country are forecast to be between 2C and 6C during the day.

Wednesday saw the coldest night of the winter so far, with a low of minus 10.2C recorded in Dalwhinnie in the Scottish Highlands.

Today there will be light snow showers in Shropshire, while tomorrow is forecast to be a little warmer, with a gentle breeze and sleet showers.

Tonight will remain largely dry, with increasing cloud and perhaps a few wintry showers in the north and a cold night with a frost returning.

Met Office forecaster Clare Nasir said: “It’s going to be a bitterly cold night as temperatures plummet.

“It does lead into a very cold start to the last day of the year tomorrow, New Year’s Eve will bear with it again the risk of rain, sleet and snow, another feature sliding down the country from northern Scotland.

“Particularly inland and over the hills we will see some snow.

“Many of us will see some brighter weather, with still a keen breeze keeping things very cold indeed, and again the risk of ice as we head into New Year’s Day, with again a wintry mix coming and going, and a fairly widespread frost.”