Chilly new year predicted for Birmingham

Dec 30 2009 by Kat Keogh, Birmingham Mail

A TORCHLIGHT procession lights up Edinburgh’s Royal Mile to mark the beginning of Hogmanay, as weather forecasters warned Brummies they would be facing a sub-zero New Year.

The cold snap continued today with parts of the country blanketed in snow.

Wales was the worst hit area, with up to 10cm expected on high ground, with drifts on top of that.

There was also snow on the Pennines and several centimetres settling in the Midlands with further snow showers expected in eastern Scotland and north-east England.

As Big Ben chimes midnight to signal the start of the new year, those celebrating Hogmanay in Edinburgh can expect temperatures of minus 2C, while revellers in Glasgow will have to contend with a bracing minus 3.

Elsewhere, temperatures of minus 2C are predicted for Manchester and Newcastle, minus 1C for Birmingham and Cardiff and zero in London.