Three-day weekend snow warning issued for England, Wales and parts of Scotland

January 01, 2025
Pic: Collected

The Met Office has issued a three-day snow warning for nearly all of England, Wales, and portions of Scotland this weekend, warning that rural areas may be cut off.

According to the Met Office, there is a possibility that schools will be closed, that there will be power outages, that roads will be closed, and that flights and trains could be delayed or cancelled.

All areas of England excluding the South West, most of Wales, and portions of southern Scotland are under a yellow warning, which is in effect from Saturday at noon until Monday at nine a.m.

About 5cm of snow is expected widely across the Midlands, Wales and northern England, with as much as 20-30cm over high ground in Wales and/or the Pennines, the forecaster added.

It comes as strong winds and heavy rain have been battering the UK, with the threat of flooding and disruption to New Year’s Day travel.

A yellow wind warning is in force until 3pm on Wednesday for the majority of England and Wales, as winds of up to 60mph are forecast, with gusts of 75mph likely around coastal areas and hills, according to the Met Office.

The start of London’s New Year’s Day Parade was delayed by 30 minutes due to high winds being forecast, and inflatable cartoon characters were no longer going to be used, event spokesman Dan Kirkby said.

The North West and Wales have seen heavy rain for much of the morning on Wednesday, which comes after the Met Office said some parts of the North West saw almost a month’s worth of rain within 48 hours.

Honister Pass in Cumbria saw nearly 6in (150mm) of rain, while Rochdale in Greater Manchester had 3in (77mm).

And more than 120 flood warnings, meaning flooding is expected, are in place for England, 11 for Wales and 21 for Scotland.

A snow and ice yellow warning is in place covering northern Scotland until 10am on Thursday, as rain turning to snow is likely to lead to some travel disruption and difficult driving conditions on New Year’s Day, the forecaster added.

Meanwhile, a yellow ice warning has been issued from 4pm on Wednesday until 10am on Thursday, covering Northern Ireland, parts of North Wales, England and Scotland, which could also lead to difficult travel conditions.