Cold conditions have also been seen across mainland Europe, as an amber cold-health alert has been extended until the weekend for the whole of England.

This is because the Mayor of London sent out a notice saying Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) will be deactivated. But the move has been branded as ‘life-threatening’ for those with nowhere warm to sleep, after the city has seen snowfall and icy conditions today.

It comes as London is one of the few places in the UK today (Monday, January 5) to not have been hit with a weather warning. The Met Office has issued a series of yellow warnings of snow and ice, and amber warnings of snow across Britain.

Snowfall will be increasingly confined to far north of Scotland but ice risk to linger across many areas

In London, the main anticipated impacts are wet and windy weather, with rain likely and gusts that could be noticeable but not as extreme as the top 80–100 mph gusts expected in exposed western parts of the UK. Although the risk of disruption exists, London is not forecast to experience the worst of the storm’s severe winds or heavy snow.

The UK is bracing for a snowy start to 2026 with cold weather warnings in place across much of the country on Thursday and Friday.