Uk Snow Forecast brings yellow warnings for rain, snow and ice across the UK
A fresh uk snow forecast has prompted yellow warnings for rain, snow and ice across Northern Ireland, Wales and southern England as north-westerly winds have driven temperatures down and pushed bands of heavy rain inland.
Uk Snow Forecast: where warnings are in force
Yellow Met Office warnings cover a swathe of the country: rain and snow warnings came into force across Northern Ireland early on Wednesday morning, a yellow warning for rain covers southern parts of England, and another yellow warning for snow is due to begin later across parts of Wales, the Midlands and the southern Pennines. An ice warning for Wales is scheduled to kick in during the evening, and National Severe Weather Warnings remain in place through Thursday morning.
Snow accumulations and rainfall totals to watch
The system will bring a wet-to-wintry mix: forecasters say many southern counties could see heavy rain with 30-50 mm possible in the wettest locations, while hill snow is expected to accumulate above roughly 150-200 metres. The Met Office sets likely snowfall at 2-5 cm above 150-200 metres and warns 10-15 cm is possible above 250-300 metres across mid and southeast Wales, Herefordshire, Shropshire and the southern Pennines. Temperatures have already plunged in places — parts of north-east Scotland fell below -9C overnight — increasing the chance of ice after dark.
Travel disruption, power cuts and local impacts
Forecasters warn of travel disruption across affected areas: a yellow Wales warning covers 18 counties with snow expected until 06: 00 GMT (1: 00 a. m. ET) on Thursday, and an ice warning in the same area runs until 10: 00 GMT (5: 00 a. m. ET). Authorities say there is a small chance of stranded vehicles delaying roads and of impacts to train and flight schedules, and that some rural communities could become cut off. Strong winds are an added hazard — forecasters have warned of gusts of 45-55 mph in places — and there is a small chance of power and mobile service cuts where snowfall and wind combine.
Across southern England, stronger east to northeasterly winds will accompany the rain and large waves may affect some east-facing coasts, with localized totals of 20-30 mm possible along the south coast and up to 50 mm across Dartmoor. Northern Ireland should expect a mixture of rain, sleet and hill snow, with several centimetres possible above higher ground in the Sperrins before any lying snow thaws overnight.
Stay-updated guidance is being issued as the system evolves; forecasters note there remains some uncertainty in the finer details of where sleet will fall at low levels and where the heaviest accumulations will set in. The uk snow forecast will therefore be refined hour by hour as the rain band shifts north and east through Wednesday evening and overnight.
Warnings are scheduled to clear as the system moves away: most yellow warnings run through Thursday morning, snow in parts of Wales is listed until 06: 00 GMT (1: 00 a. m. ET) on Thursday and the ice warning there until 10: 00 GMT (5: 00 a. m. ET). A separate cold weather alert covering much of England remains in force until 18: 00 GMT (1: 00 p. m. ET) on Friday as temperatures stay below average.
