UK weather: Amber snow and ice warnings issued by Met Office

Image source, PA Media

Image caption, Snow is expected in parts of the country following a mild start to February (file photo shows January snow in Aberdeen)

Two amber warnings for snow and ice on Thursday have been issued by the Met Office.

They cover north Wales and north-west Shropshire from 08:00 GMT to 15:00, and the Peak District and south Pennines from 12:00 until 18:00.

Between 10 and 15cm (4-6in) of snow is forecast across the warning areas, with up to 25cm (10in) on higher ground.

The “persistent and at times heavy” snow is expected to develop in the morning before easing later that day.

Travel disruption is expected, the Met Office has said.

It warned it was “safer not to drive in these conditions”, but if people needed to make an essential journey they should consider alternative forms of transport.

Media caption, How do UK weather warnings work?

In north Wales and north-west Shropshire – covered by the snow and ice warning – delays on roads and disruption to rail travel are likely.

Power cuts are possible and there is a good chance of some rural communities being temporarily cut off.

The Met Office warns that untreated pavements and cycle paths are likely to be impassable, with injuries from slips and falls likely on icy surfaces.

Strong easterly winds may also result in some snow drifts.

Similar disruption is expected in the Peak District and south Pennines, where the snow warning is in place. The Met Office is warning there may also be delays and cancellations of flights.

The snow will fall as rain moving north-east across England and Wales on Thursday morning comes up against colder air.

It is quite a complex weather situation, and can result in big differences in conditions depending on how high you might be above sea level.

Hills and mountains above around 200m in Eryri – also known as Snowdonia – the Peak District and south Pennine region are likely to get significant snow of between 20 and 25cm that will cause disruption.

Trans-Pennine roads, for example, are likely to be closed due to heavy snow.

Image source, Met Office

Image caption, Several Met Office weather warnings are in place this week across the UK

Away from high ground in north Wales and northern England, there is still likely to be a spell of snow falling that could bring other travel disruption, especially around the morning commute.

The amount of snow here though can depend on a number of different factors and may vary across relatively short distances.

For many, even though there could temporarily be snow falling, it is more likely that sleet or rain will be mixed in.

This will be more the case through Thursday afternoon as the area of rain, sleet and snow moves north into southern Scotland and Northern Ireland allowing milder air to spread north.

As well as the amber warnings, there are a number of yellow warnings spanning Thursday into Friday.

These include two yellow snow and ice warnings covering parts of southern Scotland and parts of Northern Ireland, a snow warning covering much of northern England, north Wales and the Midlands, and a rain warning in place for much of southern England and south Wales.

A separate yellow warning for ice and snow comes into force at 16:00 on Wednesday until 10:00 on Thursday, covering parts of northern Scotland.