Weekend snow and ice warning issued for East and North Yorkshire
The sub-zero start to the year is set to continue in East and North Yorkshire this weekend after the Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for snow and ice for Saturday and Sunday.
The warning gets underway at 12 noon on Saturday (4th January) and will remain in place until 11:59pm on Sunday (5th January).
During this period, heavy snow and some freezing rain in places, may cause some disruption, according to the Met Office.
People living in the warning area are being told to expect the following:
– There is a small chance that power cuts will occur and other services, such as mobile phone coverage, may be affected
– There is a slight chance that some rural communities could become cut off
– A small chance of injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces
– There is a chance of travel delays on roads with some stranded vehicles and passengers, along with delayed or cancelled rail and air travel
Outbreaks of rain spreading progressively northeastwards later on Saturday and overnight into Sunday will likely be preceded by a spell of snow on its northern flank.
Whilst there is some uncertainty, any snow in southern and eastern parts of England, especially at low levels, will probably be rather transient before turning back to rain.
However, some significant accumulations of snow are possible across parts of Wales, the Midlands and northern England in particular, at least for a time, where 5cm or more could accumulate fairly widely, with perhaps as much as 20-30cm over high ground of mid and north Wales and potentially 30-40cm over parts of the Pennines.
This, accompanied by strengthening winds, may lead to drifting of lying snow. In addition, as milder air moves northwards, snow may turn to a spell of freezing rain for a time, again more especially across parts of Wales, the Midlands and northern England, adding to the risk of ice and leading to some treacherous conditions in places.
A fairly rapid thaw of lying snow is possible later on Sunday, although exactly how far north the rapid thaw will reach remains uncertain at this stage.
