The Met Office has issued new yellow weather warnings for wintry conditions across much of the UK this weekend, as an Arctic blast brings snow, sleet, hail, freezing rain, and icy conditions. The warnings, which cover potential travel disruption, remain in place until Sunday morning.
From 4pm Friday to 10am Saturday, warnings for snow, sleet, and hail showers are in effect for northern Scotland and coastal areas of north-east England and Yorkshire. Ice warnings apply to Wales, south-west England, northern England, the Midlands, and the east of England down to London between 5pm Friday and 10am Saturday. Northern Ireland is under an ice warning from 8pm Friday to 10am Saturday.
A further snow and ice yellow warning will be in place from 9pm Saturday to 10am Sunday, covering Scotland and northern England, with forecasters predicting potentially heavy snow and freezing rain. The Met Office said the wintry weather results from an Arctic maritime air mass bringing colder conditions from northern Scotland southwards.
National Highways reported the closure of the A66 between Bowes in County Durham and Brough in Cumbria due to concentrated snowfall, with crews working to clear the carriageway. The UK Health Security Agency has issued yellow cold weather alerts for northern England and the Midlands from Friday to Monday, warning of increased risk to life for vulnerable people.
The cold snap follows a wet start to 2026 for parts of the UK, with Devon, Cornwall, and Worcestershire experiencing 40 days of rain. On Friday, England had 76 flood warnings and 154 flood alerts, while Wales had four flood alerts. Aberdeen endured 21 days without sun until a brief appearance on Thursday.
