UK braces for heavy snow as cold weather snap in Europe persists

Britain braced for potentially life-threatening winds, rains and snowfall as a severe storm rolled in from the southwest of England on Thursday during what already has been one of the country's worst cold snaps in years. Forecasters said the brunt of the storm would hit central England with as much as 30 centimeters (12 inches) of snowfall in just a few hours, which could disrupt schools, travel and commerce, especially in rural areas. The Met Office, Britain’s national meteorological service, issued a rare red weather warning — its highest — for the southwest of England where wind gusts up to 100 mph (160 kph) were expected in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.