Amber warnings for snow with ‘hazardous’ travel conditions
Heavy snow is expected to hit parts of England and Wales this weekend, with the Met Office warning there could be considerable disruption in some areas.
The new, more severe warnings cover northern England, the Midlands and much of Wales, and are in place from Saturday evening and throughout Sunday.
Temperatures fell as low as -8.1C (17F) early on Friday and the bitter conditions created by an Arctic wind are expected to continue into next week.
Flurries of snow and freezing rain could result in power cuts, travel disruption and some rural communities being cut off in the coming days, the Met Office warned.
The weather warnings include:
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A yellow warning for ice covering nearly all of Scotland, including the Orkney and Shetland Islands, north-west England, East Midlands, parts of North Wales and northern areas of Northern Ireland from 16:00 GMT on Friday until 10:00 GMT on Saturday
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An amber warning for snow and ice for parts of north-west and central England and most of Wales from 18:00 GMT on Saturday until noon on Sunday, likely bringing “hazardous travel conditions”
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An amber warning for snow covering northern England from 21:00 GMT on Saturday until midnight on Sunday
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A yellow warning for snow covering most of Scotland, except the far north, from midnight on Sunday until 12:00 GMT on Monday
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Temperatures are expected to fall below freezing on Friday night into Saturday morning, with rain and snow spreading across some places later in the day.
BBC Weather forecasts that 20-40cm (7.8-15.7in) of snow could fall across northern England and southern Scotland from late Saturday into Monday.
Wales and northern and central England are expected to see the most sustained period of snow and freezing rain, with 3-7cm of snow likely and around 15-30cm on higher ground.
Later on Sunday, temperatures are expected to be milder in parts of the country, reaching 13C in London in contrast to Aberdeen where it could be just 2C.
Plunging temperatures have triggered an amber cold weather alert across England, with people urged to check in on vulnerable people during the wintry conditions.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) issues the alerts when temperatures are likely to affect people’s wellbeing, in particular those who are elderly or have health conditions.