New year set for frosty start as odds on coldest January slashed

An ice warning sign is covered with snow in Lancaster in February 2018.The new year is set to get off to a frosty start with plummeting temperatures, unsettled weather conditions and the return of the sort of cold snap dubbed the ‘beast from the east’ last year.While Wednesday is expected to be cold and dry for much of the country, the Met Office is predicting that the second week of the New Year will become increasingly unsettled, with rain, strong winds and severe gales possible.