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Weather: Met Office issues snow and ice warnings as parts of UK told to prepare for 'hazardous conditions'

Snow has fallen in Scotland, Northumberland and Yorkshire with temperatures plunging to a low of -7.2C overnight - but the Met Office says it is too early to predict a white Christmas.

Wednesday 29 November 2023 13:56, UK

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New yellow weather warnings for snow and ice have been issued and extended to cover the next few days, with snow already falling in parts of the UK and ice forecast which could lead to "hazardous conditions".

The Met Office has said roads and railways are likely to be affected, with the fresh warnings in place until 11am on Friday and covering parts of Scotland, the North East, as well as Yorkshire and Humber.

They have now been updated to include most of eastern England, the South West and the East Midlands.

Snow has already fallen in parts of northeast England and there were reports of road closures and a stranded bus in Yorkshire on Wednesday.

Follow latest: Temperatures plummet and new warnings in place

It comes amid a blast of cold air from northern Scandinavia, resulting in a cold snap for many.

The Met Office said the three lowest temperatures recorded at its observation sites overnight were all in Cumbria, with a low of -7.2C in Bridgefoot, -6.5C in Shap and -6.1C in Keswick.

Daytime temperatures are expected to plunge to single-digit figures this week, and it is expected to stay below freezing for large parts of England and Scotland through the night.

People living in the affected areas have been advised to expect showers that will likely see ice form on untreated surfaces, which may make some roads and pathways hazardous and slippery.

The Met Office said: "Showers, wintry in places, will continue to affect northern and eastern Scotland and eastern England through Thursday evening and overnight into Friday morning.

"These are likely to fall on to frozen surfaces allowing icy patches to form.

"From approximately the Humber northwards, showers will often fall as snow inland, with up to 2cm possible in places, and perhaps as much as 5cm over high ground. Further south, any snow accumulations are more likely to be restricted to higher ground."

Find out the forecast for your area

A fresh yellow weather warning affecting areas such as Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset, will be in place from 3am to 4pm on Thursday.

The Met has also issued a yellow warning for Northern Ireland until 10am on Thursday with people urged to be wary of icy conditions.

The Met Eireann has issued a yellow fog warning for large parts of the Republic of Ireland.

The Met Office added: "Spells of snow may develop over hills, especially parts of Bodmin Moor, Dartmoor, Blackdown Hills and Exmoor during the early hours of Thursday before petering out later in the day.

"The highest parts of Dartmoor and perhaps Bodmin Moor may see 5-10cm of snow with some drifting in strong easterly winds.

"Elsewhere, accumulations are likely to be relatively small, perhaps 1-3cm at most, and mainly in areas inland and above 100-200m. In addition to this, icy patches may also develop on untreated surfaces."

Tips to keeping warm this winter

North Yorkshire Police on Wednesday warned motorists of road closures "because of snow and ice".

The A169 was closed at White Way Heads/Saltergate Moor, the force said earlier, urging drivers travelling between Pickering and Whitby to use an alternative route.

North Yorkshire Council said gritters and ploughs had been sent to the scene to clear the road.

"A169 Blue Bank looking slippy again after another large snow shower passed through," a social media user posted on X, formerly Twitter, at around midday.

Coatham Coaches said staff had been out early between Guisborough and Whitby and the main moor road "is passable", but warned people to take care.

"Only snow seems to be on higher ground but we'll assess all routes the best we can as our school/college coaches start their day."

What are cold health alerts?

Cold health alerts are issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) in conjunction with the Met Office.

They generally happen between 1 November and 31 March each year and warn how cold weather can impact people's health, the NHS, and social care.

Cold health alerts are separate to weather warnings, which are issued solely by the Met Office and warn of risks to infrastructure and the type of weather expected.

They use a colour-coded system whereby green represents the least risk and red the highest.

Green: Average temperatures are more than 2C (35F) and minimal health impacts are expected.

Yellow: Average temperatures are 2C or less for 48 hours or more. Conditions are unlikely to affect the general population but vulnerable groups may struggle. Yellow alerts may also be issued if confidence in weather forecasts is low but the situation may pose risks if the worst case scenarios are realised.

Amber: Average temperatures are below 2C for five days 鈥� or below 0C (32F) for 48 hours or more. Effects are likely to be felt across the population, the entire health service and other sectors.

Red: Averages temperature are below 0C for five days 鈥� or below -2C (28F) for 48 hours or more. Significant risk to life expected for even the healthy population and severe impacts for the health service and most sectors.

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The Met Office has issued advice for how people can stay safe in icy conditions - urging people to check on elderly relatives or neighbours who might need support.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued warnings of its own, with yellow and amber cold-health alerts for northern regions of England until 5 December.