The UK is bracing for snow and heavy rainfall just days after Storm Chandra, with yellow weather warnings in place across Scotland, England and Wales. The Met Office has warned that further adverse weather could lead to flooding and disruption, with a chance that fast-flowing or deep floodwater could cause a danger to life.
Two weather warnings for snow and ice have been issued in north Wales and across parts of the Midlands and the North East. Residents in Cumbria, Greater Manchester and Lancashire can expect sleet and snow, with up to 3cm possible on higher ground. Driving conditions could be dangerous, and commuters are advised to carry essentials such as ice scrapers and warm clothing.
A yellow warning is in place across Cornwall and Devon until 9pm on Tuesday, with train and bus cancellations and delays expected. Great Western Railways has apologised for disruption and warned that services between Exeter St Davids, Barnstaple and Crediton have been suspended due to floodwater, not due to reopen until Wednesday.
In Scotland, two yellow warnings for snow have been issued, including one covering the North East, the Highlands and Fife, extending north from Stirling to the Orkney Islands. This warning is in force from midnight Tuesday until 3pm Wednesday. A separate warning for the Shetland Islands runs from 6pm Tuesday until the end of Wednesday. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has one flood warning in place for the Churchill Barriers area of the Orkney Islands.
The latest figures show an “exceptional” amount of rain made last month the second-wettest January on record in Northern Ireland, and the sixth-wettest in southern England. Northern Ireland experienced 70 per cent more rainfall than the long-term average, with 195.6mm falling across the month, the wettest January since 1877. Southern England saw 74 per cent more rainfall than typical, with 136.8mm, ranking as the sixth-wettest on record.
