The Met Office has issued an urgent plea to residents across 51 specific areas of the United Kingdom, advising them to prepare three essential items ahead of a significant band of snow forecast to sweep across the country overnight.
13-Hour Yellow Warning in Force
A yellow weather warning for snow and ice has been issued and will be active from 2am until 3pm on Sunday. The alert covers extensive parts of Scotland and northern England. Forecasters warn that low-lying regions could see accumulations of up to 10cm of snow, while higher ground above 200 metres may be buried under as much as 20cm.
Strong winds are expected to cause drifting snow and lead to widespread icy conditions, significantly increasing the risk for the public. The Met Office has highlighted potential travel delays, stranded vehicles, and injuries from slips and falls on treacherous surfaces. There is also a risk of power cuts, which could affect mobile phone coverage in some areas.
Three Essential Items to Gather Now
To stay safe during the disruptive weather, officials strongly advise households in the warning zone to ensure they have the following three items readily available:
- Torches (with spare batteries)
- Batteries
- A mobile phone power pack or portable charger
The public is also encouraged to check on any other essentials they might need if conditions deteriorate.
Regions Under the Snow and Ice Alert
The warning spans numerous council areas. Key regions affected include:
Scotland: Much of the country is covered, including Central, Tayside & Fife, Grampian, the Highlands & Eilean Siar, Strathclyde, and SW Scotland, Lothian Borders. Specific areas include Angus, Dundee, Perth and Kinross, Stirling, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Moray, Highland, Dumfries and Galloway, Edinburgh, and Glasgow.
North East England: Counties such as Durham, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, and parts of North Yorkshire.
North West England: Cumbria, Lancashire, and Cheshire East.
Yorkshire & Humber: North, South, and West Yorkshire.
Other Areas: Parts of the East Midlands (Derbyshire, Staffordshire) and Orkney & Shetland are also included.
Further Warnings and Recent Chaos
This latest alert expands upon Saturday's warning, covering more of the North West but fewer areas in the East Midlands and Yorkshire. It is currently the only Met Office warning in force for Sunday.
Separately, a yellow ice warning remains active until midday on Saturday across a vast swathe of England and Wales, including London, the South East, the Midlands, and the South West. This alert warns of refreezing slush, freezing fog, and wintry showers creating hazardous icy patches.
Northern Ireland also faced a yellow snow and ice warning from Friday evening until Saturday morning.
This fresh bout of wintry weather follows the chaos caused by Storm Goretti, which brought gusts of up to 99mph to South West England earlier this week. The storm resulted in power cuts for tens of thousands, widespread travel disruption, school closures, and numerous flight delays and cancellations at major airports including London Heathrow and Birmingham.
