Warning: Yellow
To expect: Snow and ice
Affected area: Multiple, listed below
Start time estimate: Thursday 8pm
End time estimate: Friday noon
The Met Office has issued a Yellow snow and ice warning for several regions across the UK until Friday midday.
The warning is covering parts of Central, Tayside and Fife, Grampian, Highlands and Eilean Siar, North East England, North West England, Orkney and Shetland, SW Scotland, Lothian Borders, Strathclyde, Yorkshire and Humber. All local areas affected are listed below.
Wintry showers are forecast for the regions, expected to start covering the areas at around 8pm on Thursday and persisting until noon on Friday.
The Yellow alert for snow and ice was announced at 11:06am on Thursday, January 8.
A Met Office forecast said: “Ice is expected to form widely again as surfaces refreeze through the evening and overnight. Scattered wintry showers will move inland across parts of northern England and eastern Scotland this evening and overnight into Friday. Showers may lead to some further modest snow accumulations of a few cms inland and over higher ground.”
What to expect
Some roads and railways likely to be affected with longer journey times by road, bus and train services; Some injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces; Probably some icy patches on some untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths.
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. 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
Central, Tayside and Fife
Angus, Clackmannanshire, Dundee, Falkirk, Fife, Perth and Kinross, Stirling
Grampian
Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Moray
Highlands and Eilean Siar
Eilean Siar, Highland
North East England
Darlington, Durham, Gateshead, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Newcastle upon Tyne, North Tyneside, Northumberland, Redcar and Cleveland, South Tyneside, Stockton-on-Tees, Sunderland
North West England
Cumbria
Orkney and Shetland
Orkney Islands, Shetland Islands
SW Scotland, Lothian Borders
Dumfries and Galloway, East Lothian, Edinburgh, Midlothian Council, Scottish Borders, West Lothian
Strathclyde
East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, Glasgow, North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire
Yorkshire and Humber
North Yorkshire
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 place until noon on Friday.