UK & Ireland Freeze, Gas “Concerningly Low”; All-Time Record Cold In Qatar; Rare Chill Sweeps Taiwan; + 56% Of The U.S. Is Under Snow, Extreme Cold Inbound

Brace yourself, America—January's cold is about to deepen.

UK & Ireland Freeze, Gas “Concerningly Low”

The UK and Ireland have been holding consistently cold for weeks now, with the snow building and gas reserves shrinking.

Sheep farmers working Ireland's snow-laden Galtee Mountains on the Limerick-Tipperary border have been up since dawn each day for the past week, racing to rescue sheep trapped beneath the heavy drifts.

The a bleak and icy conditions are proving a "nightmare" for local farmers, posing a threat to the thousands of sheep grazing there. "The last time we faced something like this was during the Beast from the East in 2018,” said one Galtee farmer.

Despite best efforts, a significant number of animals are thought to have perished under the unyielding snow.

The UK’s snow has matched that of Ireland’s, with biting cold gripping just about everywhere.

Thermometers in Altnaharra, Scottish Highlands tanked to -18.9C (-2F) over the weekend, making for the UK's coldest January night since the historic winter of 2010 when -22.3C (-8.1F) was notched on Jan 8 (also at Altnaharra).

In England, the average CET for January (to the 11th, see below) is standing at 1.5C (34.7F). This is a significant -2.3C below the 1961-1990 average, and is making for a January on par with 2010 and also those of 1789, 1718, 1678, and 1672.

With freezing weather and gas storage “concerningly low,” the UK is teetering on the brink of an energy crisis.