Warning: Yellow

To expect: Snow and ice

Affected area: Multiple, listed below

Start time estimate: Friday noon

End time estimate: Saturday 3pm

The Met Office has announced a Yellow snow and ice warning for several regions across the UK until Saturday afternoon.

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

The regions will be approached by wintry showers, which are anticipated to start impacting the areas on Friday at around noon before tapering off at 3pm on Saturday.

The Yellow alert for snow and ice was issued at 9:44am on Friday, January 9.

A Met Office forecast said: “Whilst not all areas will be affected, scattered wintry showers will continue to feed inland from the North Sea through Friday afternoon, evening and overnight into Saturday morning. These are likely to give some snow accumulations in places, more especially on hills above 100m elevation where 2-5 cm will be possible. As much as 10-15 cm could accumulate on hills above 300m elevation in parts of central and/or eastern Scotland. Ice will be a more widespread hazard, especially overnight as temperatures fall widely below freezing, particularly away from immediate windward coasts.”

What to expect

Some roads and railways affected with longer journey times by road, bus and train services; Some injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces; 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. 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. Not needing to rush, reduces your risk of accidents, slips, and falls. If driving, make sure you have some essentials in your car in the event of any delays (e.g., warm clothing, food, water, a blanket, a torch, ice scraper/de icer, a warning triangle, high visibility vest and an in-car phone charger). 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 regions affected

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

East Midlands
Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Rutland

Grampian
Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Moray

Highlands and 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, Lancashire

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

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

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 snow and ice will remain in effect until 3pm on Saturday.