Two new amber weather warnings covering 18 hours for snow and ice have been issued for parts of England and Wales over the weekend. Much of the country is set to be blanketed with snow with several inches set to be widespread.
The amber weather alert warning that snow and freezing rain will bring hazardous travel conditions and could cause power cuts across much of England and Wales has been issued by the Met Office.
One warning for snow and freezing rain covering most of Wales and central England is in place from 6pm on Saturday to midday on Sunday, the Met Office said.
The second warning for snow, covering most of northern England, has been issued from 9pm on Saturday to midnight on Sunday. Up to 30cm of snowfall is expected locally in both warning areas, with 3 to 7cm likely in other areas.
It comes after a series of yellow weather warnings were already issued across the UK by the forecaster between Friday and Monday.
In the first series of alerts the Met Office has issued an Amber snow and ice warning for several regions across the UK for Saturday and Sunday. The region should prepare for substantial snowfall, starting on Saturday at around 6pm and ending at noon on Sunday.
The full list of local areas affected includes East Midlands, London and South East England, North West England, South West England, Wales, West Midlands, Yorkshire and Humber. The Amber alert for snow and ice was announced at 10:49am on Friday, January 3.
A Met Office forecast said: “Snow will become persistent and locally heavy as it pushes south to north across the warning area. As well as snow, a period of freezing rain is also likely bringing some hazardous travel conditions, before milder air follows across all areas by Sunday morning. Whilst there is some uncertainty in details, 3-7 cm of snow is likely for much of the warning area, with locally 15-30 cm for the higher ground of Wales and the southern Pennines.
“Freezing rain could lead to ice accretion in places, especially parts of Wales, before the milder air leads to a rapid thaw of snow and ice in the south of the warning area through Sunday.”
The Met Office has announced an Amber snow and ice alert for East Midlands, North East England, North West England, West Midlands and Yorkshire and Humber across the UK for Saturday and Sunday. Snow will blanket the region. The wintry showers are predicted to arrive across the areas on Saturday at around 9pm, and it will persist until Sunday 11pm.
The local regions affected are East Midlands, North East England, North West England, West Midlands, Yorkshire and Humber. The Amber warning for snow and ice was announced at 10:49am on Friday, January 3.
A Met Office forecast said: “Snow will reach the south of the warning area later Saturday, then spread north across the rest of the area through Sunday morning. Snow will be persistent and heavy at times, and will likely drift in brisk easterly winds, especially over higher ground. Much of the warning area can expect 3-7 cm of snow.
“Areas above about 150 m will likely see 15-30 cm, with 40 cm for ground above 300 m, before snow begins to ease and clear by the end of Sunday. For some lower-lying areas, such as the Vale of York, snow may mix with rain at times making estimations of snow depths here more difficult. Regardless, travel will likely be difficult, with power line icing an additional impact.”
What is an amber weather warning?The Met Office has three categories of weather warnings, depending on the likely impact of severe weather and also how likely it is to strike in a particular area. A yellow warning is issued when weather conditions are expected to disrupt travel and traffic and may impact on daily routines but are not likely to pose a risk to life or property. An amber warning is more severe and advises people to think about changing their plans to minimise the risk. A red warning means weather conditions are expected to be dangerous with widespread damage to property and a risk to life, with the public usually advised to avoid travelling. The Amber weather alert for snow and ice will remain in place until 11pm on Sunday.