Yellow weather warnings are in place for Friday, with snow and ice feared to impact millions of people ahead of a weekend when snow could fall practically all over the UK
Millions of Brits are set to freeze in a -3C freeze today as the country prepares for the snowy weekend on the way.
Although many places will enjoy sunshine and clear skies and winds will be slight, Friday will be a chilly one as forecasts say areas in the south east will plummet into minus temperatures. Wintry showers are expected further north amid yellow weather warnings for snow and ice, which are feared to cause travel nightmares for morning commuters. Scotland and Northern Ireland will face the brunt, with snow showers expected at times.
The Met Office says of Friday: “Cold again with plenty of winter sunshine on offer, especially in the south and east. Wintry showers affecting northern and northwestern coasts, winds staying generally light.”
The yellow warning adds: “Rain or sleet is likely at times along some coasts and at lower levels towards the west of the warning area, with untreated wet surfaces leading to a risk of ice formation on Thursday night.
Scattered wintry showers will be replaced by a longer spell of rain and sleet for a time on Thursday night, particularly across western Scotland and Northern Ireland. As temperatures dip below freezing, this will lead to a risk of ice formation on untreated surfaces, especially inland.
“Whilst any snow is likely to be confined upwards of 200 metres and produce accumulations of no more than 1-2 cm in a few places, rain and sleet at low levels will leave surfaces wet and allow ice to form where untreated.”
People who need to make journeys by foot are urged to use pavements along main roads. Cyclists should also try to stick to main roads, as they are likely to have been treated.
Dan Holley, deputy chief forecaster for the Met Office, said: “An Atlantic frontal system is likely to move across parts of central and southern UK through the weekend. With milder, moisture-laden air engaging with the cold conditions already in place this may bring a spell of snow in some areas, before possibly turning back to rain in the south.
“At this stage there is a fair amount of uncertainty over exactly which areas will see disruptive snow, with parts of Wales, northern England and the Midlands most likely to see some impacts. Here we could see 5cm or more in quite a few areas, and perhaps as much as 20-30cm over high ground, including Wales and the Pennines. Coupled with strengthening winds this could lead to drifting, making travelling conditions difficult over higher-level routes in particular.”
Yellow warning for snow and ice
Central, Tayside & Fife
Grampian
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Aberdeen
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Aberdeenshire
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Moray
Highlands & Eilean Siar
Orkney & Shetland
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Orkney Islands
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Shetland Islands
Strathclyde
Yellow warning for ice
Central, Tayside & Fife
Highlands & Eilean Siar
-
Na h-Eileanan Siar
-
Highland
North West England
-
Blackburn with Darwen
-
Cumbria
-
Greater Manchester
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Lancashire
Northern Ireland
-
County Antrim
-
County Armagh
-
County Down
-
County Londonderry
-
County Tyrone
SW Scotland, Lothian Borders
Strathclyde
-
Argyll and Bute
-
East Ayrshire
-
East Dunbartonshire
-
East Renfrewshire
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Glasgow
-
Inverclyde
-
North Ayrshire
-
North Lanarkshire
-
Renfrewshire
-
South Ayrshire
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South Lanarkshire
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West Dunbartonshire
Yorkshire & Humber
-
North Yorkshire
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West Yorkshire
Wales
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Carmarthenshire
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Ceredigion
-
Conwy
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Denbighshire
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Gwynedd
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Isle of Anglesey
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Pembrokeshire
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Powys
