UK snow: Arctic blast brings treacherous conditions on the roads

Winter weather Dec 28th 2020
Freezing fog patches are likely to be slow to clear in parts of England and western Scotland, the Met Office added.
PA

An Arctic blast of snow and ice brought treacherous conditions and travel chaos to parts of the UK, with some drivers forced to abandon their cars on frozen roads.

Bands of rain, sleet and snow were moving across the country on Tuesday morning, causing dangerous driving conditions, particularly around Manchester, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Berkshire, the Met Office said.

In Wast Lancashire, there were “lots of collisions coming in as the snow falls heavily”, according to Deputy Chief Constable Terry Woods, while Highways England also warned motorists over snow-hit roads.

Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill said the agency lacks a comprehensive ability to measure snow depth and anecdotal reports online of 5cm to 10cm of snow across many parts of the UK were likely to be accurate.

Snow caused some supermarket delivery orders to be cancelled, with Tesco saying it was unable to reach some customers in Stoke and the West Midlands.

In Stourbridge, West Midlands, cars were abandoned overnight because of heavy snow, while motorists struggled to navigate the icy conditions.

Temperatures plunged as low as minus 7.7C (18F) near Inverness in Scotland on Monday night, while nearby Aviemore saw 9cm of snow and Lake Vyrnwy in Powys, Wales, had 7cm, it added.

UK snow December 28 - In pictures

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A yellow warning for snow and ice for much of England, Wales and Scotland was in force until 10am on Tuesday after heavy snow in some regions, with more wintry weather expected on Wednesday and Thursday.

Freezing fog patches are likely to be slow to clear in parts of England and western Scotland, the Met Office added.

Fresh warnings are likely to be issued throughout the day, including one for snow and ice across swathes of Scotland and Northern Ireland for snow and ice on Tuesday evening, Mr Burkill added.

Winter weather Dec 28th 2020
PA

He said there was also a risk of rain turning to ice in North Wales and north-west England, particularly around Cheshire, overnight into Wednesday as temperatures plunge below freezing.

Temperatures in the afternoon are forecast to be around 4C-7C across the UK, turning cold quickly in the evening with a widespread frost.

The Met Office said: “Wintry showers will start to fade inland in the afternoon, but they will continue to stream into coastal areas, northern Scotland and Northern Ireland.”

Mr Burkill said coastal areas could also see hail and thunder.

Southern parts of England have been warned there is a chance snow and ice could hit on Wednesday and Thursday.

Tonight’s Sky Bet League Two clash between Mansfield and Salford has also been postponed due to heavy snowfall.

The playing surface at the One Call Stadium was deemed unplayable following an 11am pitch inspection.

A new date for the game has yet to be announced.

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