More snow expected across swathes of Britain with new warnings issued

There will be significant travel disruptions for commuters on Wednesday morning due to severe snow and ice in some areas of the United Kingdom.

New yellow ice warnings were issued by the Met Office for a large portion of southern England, the Midlands, and eastern Wales between Tuesday at 5 p.m. and Wednesday at 10 a.m.

The Met Office has issued a number of further snow and ice warnings for the UK, warning that rural areas may be blocked off, cars may become trapped, and power outages may occur.

The forecaster warned of snow showers developing during Tuesday evening and continuing into Wednesday morning. The showers may be heavy at times and accompanied by lightning in some areas.

Some lying snow could reach up to 10cm or more over higher ground and ice is expected to form on untreated surfaces.

Met Office spokesman Stephen Dixon previously told the PA: “We’ve had a fairly mild November so far.

“So it’ll feel like that first taste of winter for many with that snow and ice risk layered on top.”

He added: “The highest accumulations are likely over the mountains in Scotland, where over higher ground you could see around 20cm of snow through this week accumulating on the ground.

“They are not necessarily the most disruptive snowfalls, but it only takes a couple of centimetres on lower ground to cause some level of travel disruption.”

‘First taste of winter’

Britain experienced its “the first taste of winter” on Tuesday, snow reaching as far as the capital and causing rail cancellations, road delays and school closures across parts of the country.

Thousands of train passengers faced disruption, with 53 per cent of services planned by East Midlands Railway before 11am on Tuesday morning being cancelled or delayed by at least half an hour, according to the trains.im punctuality and reliability website. 

The figure for London North Eastern Railway was 37 per cent, while Transport for Wales and West Midlands Trains both saw 13 per cent of services cancelled or delayed.

More than 200 schools closed citing safety concerns, around 140 of which were in Wales.

This week, the UK Health Security Agency issued the first amber cold weather health alert of the season , covering the east and north of England, Midlands, and Yorkshire and the Humber.

The Alzheimer’s Society encouraged the public to check in on their loved ones as cold weather could be “particularly challenging” for those with dementia.

Age UK said the loss of the Winter Fuel payment could exacerbate risk to health as many older people were “extra fearful” about turning on the heating this winter.

Caroline Abrahams, director at Age UK said: “With high energy bills and food prices it is understandable that some may think they have to cut back on food and turn their heating off, but prolonged exposure to cold temperatures can have a serious impact on an older person’s health, especially if they are already trying to manage existing illnesses.”

The Met Office has issued a warning for snow and ice stretching from Suffolk to the Scottish Borders, which will be in place from 6pm on Tuesday to 12pm on Wednesday.

In Northern Ireland, a yellow warning for snow and ice has been issued from 6pm until 10am on Wednesday, while warnings for most of Wales are in place until noon on Wednesday.

The Local Government Association said councils had stockpiled “millions of tonnes of salt” and would “work around the clock” to grit roads and pavements.

Meanwhile, the AA urged drivers not to throw boiling hot water over their icy windscreen, but instead brush snow off, scrape the ice and switch on the engine to start the heaters.

The motoring association explained that glass expands quickly when hot or warm water touches it, but will contract quickly as it cools which can cause the glass to crack.

The AA also advised people against online hacks such as filling a sandwich bag with hot water or rubbing half a potato on the inside on your windows.

The Met Office’s shipping forecast issued 23 gale warnings for sea areas including Viking, Plymouth, Thames, Wight and Dover.

More than 200 schools closed

Snow and ice have forced the closure of more than 200 schools in the UK. 

By Tuesday afternoon, around 140 school closures had been reported in Wales, with around 50 in the West Midlands and 20 in Derbyshire. 

In Scotland, 11 schools closed including Achiltibuie Primary in the Highlands and four rural schools on Shetland.