The Met Office has this morning issued an urgent snow alert for parts of England and Scotland.
The string of yellow weather warnings for snow and ice cover 42 hours and span a three-day period. The first comes into effect at 4pm on Sunday and covers the very far north of Scotland.
However, further alerts for Monday and Tuesday cover large parts of the north of England and southern Scotland. The alerts warn that ice and some snow could lead to slippery surfaces and difficult travel conditions.
Sunday’s alert in Scotland runs until 11am on Monday morning. It comes back into effect at 4pm and remains in place until 10am on Tuesday.
A separate alert, covering parts of northern England and Southern Scotland, comes in force at 10am on Monday morning and remains in place for 24 hours, until 10am on Tuesday morning.
The Met Office says: “Spells of rain, sleet and snow are likely during Monday and overnight into Tuesday morning. The most likely scenario is for most of the snow to fall on high ground, with 5 to 10 cm possible above 300 metres and perhaps as much as 15 to 20 cm above 400 metres.
“There is a small chance of snow settling at lower levels, where 5 to 10 cm would prove much more disruptive, but this is very uncertain. As rain, sleet and snow clear on Tuesday morning, ice may form on untreated surfaces.”
The yellow alerts warn that there is “a small chance” that power cuts will occur and other services, such as mobile phone coverage, may be affected. The Met Office says there is also a “small chance” that untreated pavements and cycle paths become impassable”.
The national weather forecaster also says there is a “slight chance” that some rural communities could become cut off by snow and ice. It also warns that injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces are possible – as are delays on road and rail networks.
Yesterday, a Met Office spokesperson said: “There’s a major change in the weather from this weekend, as an early winter cold spell arrives bringing the potential for disruption for some next week.
“On Saturday, a band of rain moves south across most parts whilst conditions turn colder in the north, with the possibility of some hill snow. By Sunday, low pressure moves in and we’ll see the start of some unsettled and much colder weather.”
The Met Office‘s Deputy Chief Meteorologist described the cold snap as “notable”. Rebekah Hicks said all of the UK is “likely to experience a spell of several days of cold, potentially disruptive weather next week”.
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