Warning: Yellow
To expect: Snow and ice
Affected areas: Central, Tayside and Fife, Grampian, Highlands and Eilean Siar, Orkney and Shetland
Start time estimate: Wednesday midnight
End time estimate: Wednesday 11pm
The Met Office has issued a Yellow snow and ice warning for several regions across the UK for Wednesday.
The warning is covering parts of Central, Tayside and Fife, Grampian, Highlands and Eilean Siar, Orkney and Shetland. All local areas affected are listed below.
Snowfall is forecast to impact the regions, arriving across the areas on Wednesday at around midnight and persisting until 11pm.
The Yellow alert for snow and ice was announced at 10:00am on Tuesday, January 6.
A Met Office forecast said: “An area of snow is likely to persist across northern Scotland during Wednesday, spreading down the east coast through the day. This falling as rain or sleet at low elevations, especially around coasts, but is likely to fall on to frozen surfaces, bringing the potential for widespread icy conditions to continue. A further 5-10 cm of snow is likely to fall fairly widely over higher ground above 100 m, but there is a chance some areas above 200 m could see a further 20 cm. Strong winds could lead to continued drifting or blowing snow in places. Accumulations over lower elevations, coastal areas, and over Orkney and Harris are expected to be lower, but ice is expected to remain a hazard on Wednesday morning and again on Wednesday night, particularly where snow melts during the day and refreezes overnight.”
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; A chance of injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces; Untreated pavements and cycle paths might be impassable.
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. 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, Dundee, Perth and Kinross
Grampian
Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Moray
Highlands and Eilean Siar
Eilean Siar, Highland
Orkney and Shetland
Orkney Islands
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 11pm on Wednesday.