Britain in icy grip as temperature plunges to near-record minus 22 Celsius, minus 8 Fahrenheit
By APFriday, January 8, 2010
Brrr: UK temperature hits minus 22 C, minus 8 F
LONDON — Britain has experienced the coldest night of an icy winter, with temperatures falling to minus 22.3 degrees Celsius (minus 8.1 Fahrenheit) in the Scottish Highlands village of Altnaharra.
The village already holds the record for the coldest temperature ever recorded in Britain, reaching minus 27.2 Celsius (minus 17 Fahrenheit) in 1995.
Road, rail and air travelers faced continuing delays Friday, and thousands of schools were shut.
Train companies including the cross-Channel Eurostar were running reduced service. A Eurostar train traveling from Brussels to London broke down in the Channel Tunnel on Thursday.
Britain is experiencing its longest cold snap since 1981, and forecasters say Arctic weather system will remain through next week.
