Warning: Yellow

To expect: Snow

Affected area: Multiple, listed below

Start time estimate: Thursday 6pm

End time estimate: Friday noon

The Met Office has announced a Yellow snow warning for several regions across the UK for Thursday and Friday, with conditions linked to Storm Goretti.

The warning is covering parts of East Midlands, East of England, London and South East England, North West England, South West England, Wales, West Midlands, Yorkshire and Humber. All local areas affected are listed below.

The regions should prepare for substantial snow flurries, starting on Thursday at around 6pm and ending at noon on Friday.

The Yellow alert for snow was issued at 11:15am on Tuesday, January 6.

A Met Office forecast said: “A deep area of low pressure will move across the south of the UK during Thursday and into Friday bringing a mixture of rain, snow and strong winds. A spell of heavy snow is likely to develop over higher ground in south Wales later on Thursday before rain turns to snow more widely over parts of England and Wales during Thursday night. In some areas, 5-10 cm of snow may settle with the potential for up to 20 cm in some locations, especially over higher ground. Strong winds may lead to some drifting of snow. Rain and snow will then clear eastwards during Friday. This system has been named by Meteo France as the strongest winds associated with Storm Goretti are most likely over northern France.”

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.

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.

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

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

East of England
Bedford, Cambridgeshire, Central Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Luton, Peterborough

London and South East England
Buckinghamshire, Milton Keynes, Oxfordshire, West Berkshire

North West England
Cheshire East

South West England
Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, Gloucestershire, North Somerset, Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, Wiltshire

Wales
Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, 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
South Yorkshire

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 noon on Friday.