Warning: Yellow
To expect: Snow
Affected areas: Central, Tayside and Fife, Grampian, Highlands and Eilean Siar, Strathclyde
Start time estimate: Saturday 3pm
End time estimate: Sunday 3am
The Met Office has issued a Yellow snow warning for several regions across the UK for Saturday and Sunday amid Storm Dave.
The warning is covering parts of Central, Tayside and Fife, Grampian, Highlands and Eilean Siar, Strathclyde. All local areas affected are listed below.
The regions will be approached by snowfall, which is anticipated to start impacting the areas on Saturday at around 3pm before tapering off at 3am on Sunday.
The Yellow warning for snow was issued at 11:01am on Thursday, April 2.
A Met Office forecast said: “Rain arriving from the south through Saturday afternoon is likely to turn to sleet and snow over hills as it meets cold air across central and northwest Scotland. During the evening snow may turn heavier and as winds increase, blizzard conditions with drifting and blowing snow likely to lead to very poor visibility across the hills and mountains of the northwest of Scotland. Accumulating snow on roads will mostly be above 200 m elevation, where 5-10 cm is possible and a small chance of 10-20 cm. As the area of snow clears to the northeast early Sunday, more scattered isolated sleet and snow showers will follow into Sunday daytime. These are unlikely to produce further accumulations.”
What to expect
There is a small chance of travel delays on roads with some stranded vehicles and passengers, along with delayed or cancelled rail and air travel; There is a small chance that power cuts will 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 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 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
Perth and Kinross, Stirling
Grampian
Aberdeenshire, Moray
Highlands and Eilean Siar
Eilean Siar, Highland
Strathclyde
Argyll and Bute
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 will remain in place until 3am on Sunday.