The Met Office has issued a two-day weather warning for snow and ice across England and Wales, starting at 9 pm tonight. This comes after a previous warning for Scotland and North East England that is valid until Wednesday.
The new alert states that a band of rain will move southwards, turning into snow on hills and possibly lower levels in some places. While many areas will see little to no accumulation of snow, some areas may see 1-2cm settling, mainly over high ground and southern parts of the warning area.
The rain and snow are expected to turn light and patchy as it clears southern England on Tuesday, and untreated surfaces are likely to become icy.
The warning stays in force until 10 am on Tuesday, while the northern alert is in place until 10 am on Wednesday. Cold, blustery northerly winds will continue to drive frequent showers of snow and hail into these areas on Tuesday, with the highest accumulations over the high ground of northern Scotland.
The Met Office warned of temperatures dropping below minus 10C on Monday night on higher ground in northern Scotland, with northerly winds making it feel even colder. The wintry conditions could lead to up to 10cm of snow on higher ground in Scotland and 5cm at lower levels.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued a cold weather alert and has placed north-east England, north-west England, and Yorkshire under a level three alert, with the rest of England at level two.
A level three alert means there is a 90% chance of severely cold weather, icy conditions, or heavy snow, which could increase the health risk to vulnerable patients, according to the NHS. The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for snow in the north-east of Scotland, including Shetland, from 6 pm on Sunday.
Areas affected by the warnings could experience power outages, delays to road, rail, and air travel, icy surfaces, and some rural communities may be cut off by the freezing conditions.
The head of extreme events and health protection at UKHSA, Dr Agostinho Sousa, advised people to check on family, friends, and relatives who may be more vulnerable to the cold weather, and to heat their homes to at least 18C if they have pre-existing medical conditions or are over the age of 65.
»Met Office warns of snow and ice in England and Wales«
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