Warning: Yellow

To expect: Snow

Affected area: Multiple, listed below

Start time estimate: Thursday 5pm

End time estimate: Friday noon

The Met Office has announced an updated Yellow snow warning for several regions across the UK for Thursday and Friday, with conditions linked to Storm Goretti.

The warning is covering parts of East Midlands, East of England, London and South East England, North East England, North West England, South West England, Wales, West Midlands, Yorkshire and Humber. All local areas affected are listed below.

The regions should prepare for substantial snow flurries, starting on Thursday at around 5pm and ending at noon on Friday.

The updated Yellow alert for snow was announced at 11:54am on Wednesday, January 7.

A Met Office forecast said: “Rain, associated with Storm Goretti, will spread northeastwards across the warning area through Thursday afternoon and evening, transitioning to snow fairly widely overnight and into Friday. Snow initially will begin to accumulate across hills in Wales and then increasingly to lower levels overnight. Whilst not all areas may see accumulating snow, accumulations of 5-10 cm are likely quite widely, with scope for 15-25 cm in places, especially on some hills above 200 metres elevation. There is a chance of 30 cm accumulating over high ground in Wales and/or the Peak District. There is some uncertainty over the exact track of Storm Goretti, which will influence the locations most likely to see disruptive snow. Amounts of snow will also depend quite heavily on both elevation and the intensity of precipitation, and as this becomes somewhat lighter into Friday this will lead to an awkward mix of rain, sleet and snow, gradually clearing away to the east. Therefore there is likely to be a lot of variation, even over relatively short distances. The low pressure system has been named by Meteo France, as the strongest winds associated with Storm Goretti are most likely over northern France.”

What to expect

Possible travel delays on roads stranding some vehicles and passengers; Possible delays or cancellations to rail and air travel; Some rural communities could become cut off; Power cuts may occur and other services, such as mobile phone coverage, may be affected.

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).

People cope better when they have prepared in advance for the risk of power cuts or being cut off from services and amenities due to the snow. 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 quickly: 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

East Midlands
Derby, Derbyshire, Leicester, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, Rutland

East of England
Bedford, Cambridgeshire, Central Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Luton, Peterborough

London and South East England
Buckinghamshire, Milton Keynes, Oxfordshire, West Berkshire

North East England
Durham, Northumberland

North West England
Cheshire East, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire

South West England
Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, Gloucestershire, North Somerset, Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, Wiltshire

Wales
Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Neath Port Talbot, Newport, Pembrokeshire, Powys, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Torfaen, Wrexham

West Midlands
Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Telford and Wrekin, Warwickshire, West Midlands Conurbation, Worcestershire

Yorkshire and Humber
North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire

What is an updated 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 will remain in place until noon on Friday.