Snow Blankets South England with More to Come, Travel Warnings Issued
This morning, snow blanketed vast portions of the United Kingdom, and more is expected.
The Met Office reports that snow has fallen as far south as London, as well as from Dover to Cambridge and Wrexham.
Today, the Met Office has issued three snow and ice warnings for the entirety of the United Kingdom, including the southeast and southwest of England, Newcastle upon Tyne and northern Scotland, and Northern Ireland, including Belfast.
And British citizens awoke this morning to snowfall, with the alert covering the majority of southern England, including London.
Today is the first of three days with yellow weather warnings; snow is expected to return to large portions of the United Kingdom tomorrow and Friday.
The Met Office issues the following warning: “In some areas, ice and snow have created hazardous conditions for travel.
“Some roads and railways are likely to be affected, resulting in longer travel times by car, bus, and train. Some slips and falls on icy surfaces result in injuries.
There will likely be icy patches on untreated roads, sidewalks, and bike paths.
According to reports, heavy snow has already led to the closure of roads in Surrey, and the National Highways Administration has issued a warning to drivers in the South East and South West to delay their journeys if possible.
This morning, Wiltshire Police warned: “Extremely heavy snowfall overnight has made driving conditions extremely hazardous.
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“If your trip is not essential, please do not drive.”
In the meantime, northern Scotland could receive up to seven inches of snow, leading to the closure of several schools.
And another snowfall warning is in effect for all of Northern Ireland.
There is also a possibility that rural communities will be cut off for several days, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.
And individuals should be prepared for lengthy outages of power, gas, water, telephone, and mobile phone service.
Met Office warning: “It is possible that bus and train services will be delayed or canceled, and that there will be road closures and longer travel times.
“There may be power outages and other services may be temporarily interrupted.
Untreated sidewalks and bike paths may be impassable, with the risk of slips and fall on snow-covered or icy surfaces resulting in injuries.
The United Kingdom will be covered in warnings until Friday, and the first snowfall hit the country on Tuesday.
This week, the temperature is expected to drop to minus 15 degrees Celsius in some remote Scottish glens.
While the Met Office is uncertain as to whether snow will fall today in the South, it is more likely that snow will fall on Thursday across much of northern England, Northern Ireland, and much of Scotland.
Stephen Dixon, a spokesperson for the Met Office, stated that snow should fall where cold Arctic air moving south towards the United Kingdom meets warmer air rising from the South West.
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He added: “As the weekend approaches and the low pressure has moved away from the East, a second band of rain is likely to move in from the southwest and collide with cooler air, creating sleet showers.
The temperatures will gradually return to seasonal norms over the following week.
