Large parts of the United Kingdom are preparing for significant snowfall and hazardous icy conditions this Tuesday, according to the latest warnings from the Met Office. Forecasters have identified 79 specific areas across the country that are expected to be hit by the wintry weather, with accumulations predicted to range from one to six inches.
Widespread Warnings and Expected Impact
The national weather service has active yellow warnings for snow and ice in force for Tuesday, January 6. The alert highlights that scattered sleet and snow showers, along with icy patches, are likely to cause travel disruption from Monday afternoon and overnight into Tuesday morning. The Met Office specifically warns that some roads and railway lines will probably be affected, leading to longer journey times for road, bus and train services.
There is also an increased risk of injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces, with untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths expected to become particularly treacherous. The warning emphasises that while not every location will see snow, some communities could see between 2cm and 15cm (1-6 inches) of accumulation.
Regional Forecast and Snow Hotspots
The snow charts indicate the flurries will sweep across swathes of Scotland, the North of England, the South West, Wales and even parts of East Anglia. A band of snow is forecast to move east across central and northern Scotland during Tuesday itself.
Some regions are braced for particularly heavy falls. Parts of Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion in Wales could see 5-10cm (2-4 inches), especially near the Preseli Mountains. In Scotland, a further 2-5cm is expected fairly widely, but there is a chance some areas, particularly over higher ground above 200 metres, could see an additional 10-15cm (4-6 inches).
The Met Office notes that freezing levels may fluctuate, causing snow to turn to sleet or rain at lower elevations temporarily before turning back to snow. Hail is also possible within some showers, worsening slippery conditions.
Key Hazard: Widespread Icy Surfaces
Forecasters stress that ice will become a major and more widespread hazard overnight Monday and into Tuesday morning as temperatures plunge below freezing. "Showers will ease through Monday night, but ice will be a more widespread hazard," the alert states.
The situation is expected to be exacerbated on Tuesday morning as further precipitation falls onto already frozen surfaces, "bringing the potential for widespread icy conditions to develop." This risk is expected to persist into Tuesday night for areas like the Northern Isles.
The full list of 79 areas under the Met Office snow and ice warning includes:
- Angus, Clackmannanshire, Dundee, Fife, Perth and Kinross, Stirling
- Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Moray, Na h-Eileanan Siar, Highland, Orkney Islands, Shetland Islands
- Argyll and Bute, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, Glasgow, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, West Dunbartonshire
- Durham, Northumberland, Cumbria, Lancashire
- Dumfries and Galloway, East Lothian, Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scottish Borders, West Lothian
- East Riding of Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, Kingston upon Hull, York
- Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk
- Darlington, Gateshead, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Newcastle upon Tyne, North Tyneside, Redcar and Cleveland, South Tyneside, Stockton-on-Tees, Sunderland
- Cornwall, Devon, Plymouth, Torbay
- Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd, Isle of Anglesey, Neath Port Talbot, Pembrokeshire, Powys, Swansea, Wrexham
