The Met Office has confirmed a second wave of wintry weather is set to sweep across the United Kingdom this weekend, prompting a fresh yellow warning for snow and ice.
Fresh Warning for Widespread Disruption
A significant band of snow is forecast to move across the country during Sunday, January 11. The official warning from the national forecaster will be active from 2am until 3pm on that day, covering a vast swathe of regions.
The Met Office stated that while the snow across northern England will largely settle on ground above 200 metres, it could fall to low levels across Scotland during the morning. The precipitation is expected to become increasingly confined to higher ground as the afternoon progresses.
Expected Snow Accumulations
Not all lower-lying areas will see settling snow, but where it does accumulate, 2 to 5 centimetres is likely, with a chance of up to 10cm in some localised spots. The picture changes dramatically at higher elevations.
Above 200 metres, 10 to 20cm of snow is possible, with accumulations potentially reaching 30cm on hills exposed to strong southerly winds, particularly over the highest parts of Scotland. These strong winds may also lead to drifting snow.
The forecaster added a note of caution, explaining that amounts will depend heavily on elevation and precipitation intensity. As the weather system pushes eastwards through Sunday afternoon, it will begin to transition to an awkward mix of rain, sleet and snow, leading to significant variation over short distances.
Full List of Affected Regions
The yellow warning for snow and ice encompasses 51 specific local authority areas across multiple UK regions. Icy conditions are expected to be widespread. The affected areas are:
Central, Tayside & Fife: Angus, Clackmannanshire, Dundee, Falkirk, Fife, Perth and Kinross, Stirling.
East Midlands: Derbyshire.
Grampian: Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Moray.
Highlands & Eilean Siar: Highland.
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: Cheshire East, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire.
Orkney & Shetland: Orkney Islands.
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.
West Midlands: Staffordshire.
Yorkshire & Humber: North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire.
Residents in these areas are advised to prepare for potentially difficult travel conditions, check road and transport updates, and take care on untreated surfaces due to the risk of ice.
