Met Office issues yellow alert – icy patches could impact morning travel in 13 areas

Published Jan 6, 2026

Warning: Yellow

To expect: Ice

Affected area: Multiple, listed below

Start time estimate: Wednesday midnight

End time estimate: Wednesday 10am

The Met Office has issued a Yellow ice warning for several regions across the UK for Wednesday.

The warning is covering parts of Central, Tayside and Fife, East Midlands, East of England, Highlands and Eilean Siar, London and South East England, North East England, North West England, SW Scotland, Lothian Borders, South West England, Strathclyde, Wales, West Midlands, Yorkshire and Humber. All local areas affected are listed below.

On Wednesday, a Yellow weather warning is in place from midnight until 10am. The forecast suggests the regions concerned can expect to see hazardous conditions due to ice formation.

The Yellow alert for ice was issued at 10:00am on Tuesday, January 6.

A Met Office forecast said: “Following a band of precipitation which clears southeast overnight, clear skies will develop for many areas on Tuesday night will lead to icy patches on untreated wet surfaces. This could lead to some minor disruption especially on Wednesday morning.”

What to expect

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?

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.

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

Central, Tayside and Fife
Clackmannanshire, Falkirk, Fife, Perth and Kinross, Stirling

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

East of England
Bedford, Cambridgeshire, Central Bedfordshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Luton, Norfolk, Peterborough, Southend-on-Sea, Suffolk, Thurrock

Highlands and Eilean Siar
Highland

London and South East England
Bracknell Forest, Brighton and Hove, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Greater London, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Medway, Milton Keynes, Oxfordshire, Portsmouth, Reading, Slough, Southampton, Surrey, West Berkshire, West Sussex, Windsor and Maidenhead, Wokingham

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
Blackburn with Darwen, Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Warrington

SW Scotland, Lothian Borders
Dumfries and Galloway, East Lothian, Edinburgh, Midlothian Council, Scottish Borders, West Lothian

South West England
Bath and North East Somerset, Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole, Bristol, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, North Somerset, Plymouth, Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, Torbay, Wiltshire

Strathclyde
Argyll and Bute, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, Glasgow, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, West Dunbartonshire

Wales
Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Denbighshire, Gwynedd, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Neath Port Talbot, Newport, Powys, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Swansea, Torfaen, Vale of Glamorgan, Wrexham

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

Yorkshire and Humber
East Riding of Yorkshire, Kingston upon Hull, North East Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire, 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 ice will remain in effect until 10am on Wednesday.