Yellow warnings of snow and ice have been issued for large parts of the UK as forecasters warn that temperatures will plummet over the next 24 hours as Arctic air sweeps in from the north.
The Met Office has issued fresh alerts across areas of the Midlands, East, south of England, Wales and Northern Ireland following on from warnings for parts of Scotland and northern England. The new warnings came into force overnight and the Met Office says that heavy snow could bring "significant disruption" to northern and central parts of the country on Thursday and Friday.
The Met Office's yellow warnings cover much of the UK for the next five days with forecasters saying a "major change" is under way as Arctic air sweeps in from the north. Motorists and pedestrians are being warned of "difficult travel conditions" this morning (March 7) with roads and railways likely to be affected. People should expect longer journey times.
The snow is likely to cause some travel disruption across parts of southern England and Wales throughout Wednesday, according to another warning. South West England and South Wales will be covered by a yellow warning for snow all day on Wednesday and a few centimetres of snow could fall in those areas. North England, North Wales, most of Scotland and Northern Ireland will be covered by a yellow warning for snow between 3am on Thursday and 6pm on Friday.
The first Met Office warning began on Sunday evening for parts of Scotland, covering places including Aberdeen and Dundee, the Highlands, Orkney and Shetland. The warning put in place yesterday covers more of Scotland and a corridor of north-east England that extends to Newcastle upon Tyne and Yorkshire.
For today (March 7), the area extends to cover Strathclyde, more of Yorkshire and the Humber, and the East Midlands. Frequent snow is expected, with northern Scotland experiencing frequent and often heavy snow showers.
The Met Office said there was "slight chance" that rural communities could be cut off, adding that cuts to power and phone services were possible. It said that tonight could be the coldest of the year so far with lows of -15C in some sheltered Scottish glens, especially where there is fresh snow cover. Colder overnight conditions are set to hit cities later in the week – with -4C in London and -6C in Birmingham and Belfast.
“Temperatures will be much, much colder than we would expect at this time of year," said the Met Office. “The pattern will set in for some time. We have got this feed of cold air coming in from a much higher latitude.
“We expect these conditions to remain in place until at least next weekend and possibly longer because sometimes these conditions can be quite stubborn and not easily subject to change.”
Dale Hipkiss, National Network Manager at National Highways, said people should keep warm clothes and a torch in their car in case they get stuck in icy conditions.
He said: “Freezing conditions bring so many hazards such as snow and ice. Take every possible step to understand your journey in advance and allow lots of extra time when travelling to prepare for the unexpected.
The UK Health Security Agency has issued a level-three cold weather alert for the whole of England which is likely to be reviewed in the coming days. The agency’s Head of Extreme Events and Health Protection, Dr Agostinho Sousa, said people should check on vulnerable relatives and told pensioners and anyone with an underlying health condition to heat their home to at least 18C.
