Warning: Yellow
To expect: Snow and ice
Affected area: Multiple, listed below
Start time estimate: Thursday 7pm
End time estimate: Friday noon
The Met Office has announced a Yellow snow and ice warning for several regions across the UK for Thursday and Friday.
The warning is covering parts of East Midlands, North East England, North West England, SW Scotland, Lothian Borders, West Midlands, Yorkshire and Humber. All local areas affected are listed below.
Snow will settle over the regions. The wintry showers are forecast to arrive across the areas on Thursday at around 7pm, and it will persist until Friday noon.
The Yellow warning for snow and ice was issued at 9:32am on Wednesday, February 11.
A Met Office forecast said: “Outbreaks of rain will fall as snow over higher hills initially, before the snow starts to fall to lower levels through Thursday evening. Any settling snow will mainly be confined to high ground, above 200 metres 2 to 5 cm is possible, and above 300 metres, a few locations may see as much as 10 cm. The rain and snow is expected to clear south during the early hours of Friday with temperatures expected to fall quickly as skies clear, leading to ice on untreated surfaces.”
What to expect
Some injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces; Probably some icy patches on some untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths; Some roads and railways likely to be affected with longer journey times by road, bus and train services.
What should you do?
Keep yourself and your family safe when it is icy. Plan to leave the house at least five minutes earlier than normal. Not needing to rush, reduces your risk of accidents, slips, and falls. If you need to make 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. Snowy, wintry weather can cause delays and make driving conditions dangerous. Keep yourself and others safe by planning your route, giving yourself extra time for your journey. Check for road closures or delays to public transport and amend plans if necessary. 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: 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
Derbyshire
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
Cheshire East, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire
SW Scotland, Lothian Borders
Dumfries and Galloway, Scottish Borders
West Midlands
Staffordshire
Yorkshire and Humber
East Riding of Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, York
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 noon on Friday.