Weather experts warn of 'worst winter'

That was the warning from weather experts last night as they forecast no let-up in the freezing conditions currently engulfing Hampshire.

Temperatures are unlikely to rise above freezing for at least another ten days and at night there could be a wind chill of –20C, they warned.

The county is also set for another dump of snow next week that could see the county grind to a standstill again.

Independent weather expert and Daily Echo columnist Mark Ching, right, said that there was no sign of the cold snap easing its grip on Hampshire until the middle of January – and it could last a lot longer.

He said: “The cold weather is not going anywhere soon.

“The weather we have been experiencing recently is the worst we have had in 30 years.

• As soon as any schools decide to close, we will post the information on this website.

“If it carries on like this towards the end of January and beyond we could be looking at a comparison with the legendary winter of 1963, which is the benchmark for modern winters.”

Mr Ching added that more snow is on its way next week for Hampshire, bringing with it similar icy conditions to those experienced this week with temperatures unlikely to get above freezing during the day. The Environment Agency confirmed that temperatures in Hampshire on Wednesday night plummeted to the lowest in nearly 20 years.

Hydrology expert Andy Roberts said that the air temperature on Wednesday night at their Otterbourne weather centre dropped to -8.8C, the lowest it has been in Hampshire since 1991.

“There is a chance that it’s going to get even colder as we’ve had clear skies and with wind chill taken into account it could get as low as -20C,” he said.

Yesterday the Met Office issued a severe weather warning for widespread ice on the county’s roads in a repeat of weather conditions which have brought the county to a standstill this week.

Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service said that it had plans in place to ensure its emergency response during the cold snap and urged Hampshire residents to play their part in remaining safe and heed warnings about not travelling unless necessary.

The service has been working with South Central Ambulance Service, Hampshire Constabulary and local authorities to provide rescue services.

A spokeswoman for Royal Hampshire County Hospital said that all outpatient therapy appointments had been cancelled due to staff shortages but routine appointments were continuing as normal.

The treacherous conditions left wheelchair-bound residents trapped in their Romsey home.

Clients at the town’s Fryers House Leonard Cheshire centre have been stranded because the side road leading to the site is icebound.

Their carers have also struggled to make it into the building.

Meanwhile, business leaders in Hampshire said that companies around the county were finding ways to deal with the problems caused by the weather.

Captain Jimmy Chestnutt, director general of the Southampton and Fareham Chamber of Commerce, said: “We have seen varying levels of disruption affecting different sectors in different ways.

“Footfall in the city centre is down, which will have had an effect on the retail and hospitality sectors. Supermarket shelves aren’t quite as stocked as normal but deliveries are now getting through.

“However it seems most businesses are fully attended. It is difficult and tiresome and people are having to work a lot harder but businesses are just getting on with it.”

But as snow and ice trapped workers at home, 15 shops in Market Street, The Swan Centre closed yesterday. Several others were closing early.

In contrast it has been boom time for DIY giants B&Q and Homebase, who reported a rise in sales of weather-related items.

John Lennard, store manager at Homebase in Millbrook, said: “There’s been a real flurry of people buying essentials such as deicer, shovels, pipe lagging and heaters to combat the cold weather.

“We sold out of grit about a week ago and we have had none come in since. It’s been a real nightmare.”

Chandler’s Ford-based B&Q was reporting sales of rock salt up by 150 per cent, shovels up by 200 per cent and wellies up by 120 per cent.

Southampton Airport was last night operating normally, although some flights had been cancelled due to the knock-on effect of the poor weather.

Last night the Adverse Weather Office, based in the Hampshire Police Control Room, was closed.

It had been in operation since Tuesday afternoon, when the first of the snow hit Hampshire. A spokesman said that the rescue phase of the operation relating to the snowfall has been concluded.