The Met Office has issued a warning for parts of the UK as snow and ice can be expected in 45 areas. A yellow weather warning has been put in place from Sunday 17 to Tuesday 19, offering advice on how to stay safe.
Wintery conditions can be expected from 4pm in the north of Scotland with Grampian, Highlands & Eilean Siar and Orkney and Shetland being named as regions to be affected.
The Met Office alert says Brits can expect ice and some snow which may lead to slippery surfaces and difficult travel conditions. A warning to travellers is also in place as some roads and railways may be affected with longer journey times by road, bus and train services.
Sunday will see showers turn increasingly more wintry with hail, sleet and snow expected. Although the daytime may not see snow settle, the evening and overnight could see up to 1 to 3cm while 5 to 10cm is possible on higher grounds above 300 metres by Monday morning.
A separate yellow snow and ice warning has been issued for both Scotland and England from 10am on Monday 18 for 24 hours.
The affected regions include: Central, Tayside and Fife, North East England, North West England, South West Scotland, Lothian Borders, Strathclyde and Yorkshire and Humber.
For these days, a small chance of disruption from the snow and ice can be expected with a possibility of power cuts and mobile phone coverage to be affected.
The warning continues to say that untreated pavements and cyclepaths may be unusable with more rural communities becoming cut off from larger towns and cities.
Transport could also be limited depending on the severity of the conditions with a chance of rail and air travel being cancelled.
Rain, sleet and snow are expected to cover the listed areas on the morning of the 18, continuing overnight to the 19. Higher ground could see up to a whopping 20cm of snowfall settling while a smaller chance is expected at lower levels.
The Met Office has offered advice to those in the areas expecting the conditions: “Snowy, wintry weather can cause delays and make driving conditions dangerous, so to keep yourself and others safe,
“Plan your route, checking for delays and road closures, amending your travel plans if necessary; if driving, leave more time to prepare and check your car before setting off,
“Make sure you have essentials packed in your car in the event of any delays (warm clothing, food, water, a blanket, a torch, ice scraper/de-icer, a warning triangle, high visibility vest and an in-car phone charger),
“People cope better when they have prepared in advance for the risk of power cuts or being cut off from services and amenities due to the snow. It’s easy to do; consider gathering torches and batteries, a mobile phone power pack and other essential items.”
The warning in place from Sunday includes the following areas:
Grampian
Highlands & Eilean Siar
- Na h-Eileanan Siar
- Highland
Orkney & Shetland
- Orkney Islands
- Shetland Islands
The warning in place from Monday includes the following areas:
Central, Tayside & Fife
- Clackmannanshire
- Falkirk
- Fife
- Stirling
North East England
- Darlington
- Durham
- Gateshead
- Hartlepool
- Middlesbrough
- Newcastle upon Tyne
- North Tyneside
- Northumberland
- Redcar and Cleveland
- South Tyneside
- Stockton-on-Tees
- Sunderland
North West England
SW Scotland, Lothian Borders
- Dumfries and Galloway
- East Lothian
- Edinburgh
- Midlothian Council
- Scottish Borders
- West Lothian
Strathclyde
- Argyll and Bute
- East Ayrshire
- East Dunbartonshire
- East Renfrewshire
- Glasgow
- Inverclyde
- North Ayrshire
- North Lanarkshire
- Renfrewshire
- South Ayrshire
- South Lanarkshire
- West Dunbartonshire
Yorkshire & Humber
- North Yorkshire
- West Yorkshire
- York.
