Warning: Yellow
To expect: Snow and ice
Affected areas: South West England, Wales
Start time estimate: Wednesday noon
End time estimate: Thursday 11pm
The Met Office has announced a Yellow snow and ice warning for South West England and Wales for Wednesday and Thursday. All local areas affected are listed below.
Snow will blanket the regions. The snowfall is predicted to arrive across the areas on Wednesday at around noon, and it will persist until Thursday 11pm.
The Yellow alert for snow and ice was announced at 11:34am on Tuesday, November 18.
A Met Office forecast said: “Wintry showers will feed southwards across southwest Wales and parts of Devon and Cornwall through Wednesday and Thursday, moving well inland on brisk northerly winds. Some snow accumulations will be possible in places, especially overnight and/or farther inland away from the immediate windward coast. Whilst some places will see little or no lying snow, where showers are most frequent accumulations of 2-5 cm are possible, and perhaps up to 10 cm in a few isolated spots, more especially on hills above 200 m elevation in Pembrokeshire and west Carmarthenshire. Gusty winds and hail may accompany some of the showers, and where showers persist and/or snow partially thaws and refreezes overnight, this will bring a risk of ice.”
What to expect
There is a slight chance that bus and train services may be delayed or cancelled, with some road closures and longer journey times; A small chance of injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces; A small chance that untreated pavements and cycle paths become impassable; A slight chance that power cuts occur, with the potential to affect other services, such as mobile phone coverage.
What should you do?
Snowy, wintry weather can cause delays and make driving conditions dangerous, so to keep yourself and others safe: plan your route, checking for delays and road closures, amending your travel plans if necessary; if driving, leave more time to prepare and check your car before setting off; make sure you have essentials packed in your car in the event of any delays (warm clothing, food, water, a blanket, a torch, ice scraper/de-icer, a warning triangle, high visibility vest and an in-car phone charger). Keep yourself and your family safe when it is icy. Plan to leave the house at least five minutes earlier than normal to reduce your risk of accidents, slips, and falls. If making a journey on foot, try to use pavements along main roads which are likely to be less slippery. Similarly, if cycling, try and stick to main roads which are more likely to have been treated. Give yourself the best chance of avoiding delays by checking road conditions if driving, or bus and train timetables, amending your travel plans if necessary. People cope better with power cuts when they have prepared for them in advance. It’s easy to do; consider gathering torches and batteries, a mobile phone power pack and other essential items. Be prepared for weather warnings to change: when a weather warning is issued, the Met Office recommends staying up to date with the weather forecast in your area. For further details see Met Office Warnings & Advice.
Full list of local areas affected
South West England
Cornwall, Devon, Plymouth
Wales
Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire, Swansea
What is a yellow weather warning?
The Met Office has three categories of weather warning, 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 Yellow weather alert for snow and ice will remain in effect until 11pm on Thursday.