A yellow weather warning has been issued by the Met Office this morning (Monday, January 6) for icy stretches, with sleet and snow showers developing overnight and continuing into the middle of the week. These conditions could bring disruption, particularly to travel.
The warning, issued at 10 am today, covers a large portion of the South West and is expected to remain in place until Wednesday evening. Frequent sleet or snow showers are also forecast to affect Wales and parts of northwest England this evening, moving into southwest England, the Midlands, and parts of southern England in the early hours of tomorrow (Tuesday, January 7).
In addition to icy conditions, snow accumulations of a few centimetres are likely above 200 metres. Heavier snow showers may also result in temporary accumulations of 0–2 cm at lower levels.
The Met Office has warned that these conditions could cause the following disruptions:
- A small chance of power cuts and impacts on other services, such as mobile phone coverage.
- A slight chance of rural communities becoming cut off, particularly in upland areas.
- A small chance of travel delays on roads, with stranded vehicles and passengers, as well as delayed or cancelled rail and air travel.
- Likely longer journey times for road, bus, and train services.
- Icy patches on untreated roads, pavements, and cycle paths.
- Possible injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces.
Snowy, wintry weather can cause delays and make driving conditions dangerous. Keep yourself and others safe by planning your route, and giving yourself extra time for your journey.