The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for Tuesday (November 17), with snow expected to hit parts of England and Scotland as colder air sweeps across the country. The warning covers 23 areas and includes the possibility of power outages and disruption to travel.
Forecast details and warnings
Forecasters warned: "Some roads and railways likely to be affected with longer journey times by road, bus and train services. There is a small chance of power outages or degradation of mobile phone service."
Explaining what Brits can expect, the Met Office said: "A band of rain is expected to head northwards across the UK through Monday night and Tuesday morning. As it encounters colder air across the highlighted region, it is likely to turn to snow for a time, mainly affecting locations at 100 m altitude or higher."
"Any snow falling below this level will more likely be temporary and quickly melt. Where snow does accumulate, depths of 1-5 cm are likely; some locations above 300-400 m could see 5-15 cm. This may cause travel disruption on higher level routes, particularly in combination with a strong easterly wind which could also cause some localised drifting."
Travel advice for drivers
Drivers have been told to prepare for potentially dangerous conditions, with the weather agency warning that journeys could take longer than usual. It said: "Snowy, wintry weather can cause delays and make driving conditions dangerous. Keep yourself and others safe by planning your route, giving yourself extra time for your journey."
"Check for road closures or delays to public transport and amend plans if necessary." Drivers in particularly cold areas have been told to carry emergency supplies including warm clothing, food, water, blankets, torches and phone chargers.
Full list of areas under warning
The Met Office added: "Be prepared for weather warnings to change quickly: when a weather warning is issued, the Met Office recommends staying up to date with the weather forecast in your area."
The full list of areas issued with a yellow warning is as follows:
- East Midlands: Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire
- North East England: Darlington, Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland
- North West England: Blackburn with Darwen, Cheshire East, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire
- Strathclyde: East Ayrshire, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire
- SW Scotland, Lothian Borders: Dumfries and Galloway, Midlothian Council, Scottish Borders
- West Midlands: Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent
- Yorkshire & Humber: North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire
Snow will gradually turn back to rain both from the south and through the morning on Tuesday, with some accretion of ice onto infrastructure such as power lines also a possibility.
