The Met Office has issued two rare amber weather warnings for heavy snow and ice, as an Arctic blast hits the UK on Thursday. One warning covers large parts of north Wales and Shropshire from 8am to 3pm, while the second covers the Peak District and southern Pennines from noon to 6pm.
Up to 25cm (10in) of snow is forecast on higher ground, with strong easterly winds causing drifting. Yellow warnings had been in place but were upgraded on Wednesday morning. The Met Office warned that rural communities could be cut off, and power cuts or loss of mobile phone coverage are possible.
People are urged not to drive in these conditions. If essential travel is necessary, alternative transport should be considered. Separate yellow snow warnings are in place from 6am Thursday to 6am Friday for northern England, north Wales, and parts of the Midlands, including Wolverhampton, Leicester, Nottingham, and Derby. A yellow snow and ice warning for Northern Ireland runs from 10am Thursday to 6am Friday.
Southern England and south Wales face heavy rain on Thursday, with a yellow rain warning from 2am Thursday to 6am Friday. Up to 25mm of rain is expected, with 45mm on higher ground, potentially causing flooding of homes and businesses. Drivers are advised to reduce speed, leave extra space, and use main roads, which are more likely to have been gritted.
This cold snap follows an exceptionally mild period, with Chertsey in Surrey recording 14.3C on Tuesday. The UK has had an unusually stormy autumn and winter, with 10 named storms by January, the highest since naming began in 2015-16.
