Snow can be delightful stuff. Who doesn’t get that warm and fuzzy feeling of excitement when we see the first flakes gently float to the ground and form a pretty blanket of white?
But, very often, the reality is nothing like that. Instead, snow and sleet hits us at a harsh, horizontal angle, turns into hazardous grey sludge and can majorly disrupt our day-to-day lives. Unfortunately, that’s the kind of snow expected to arrive in the UK over the next few days.
The Met Office has issued a 15-hour yellow warning for ice and snow from 7pm today (Monday, November 18) until 10am tomorrow, with snow, hail and sleet is predicted for large parts of Scotland, north England and north Wales.
There’s also a cold weather alert in place from the UK Health Security Agency until 9am on Thursday, November 20.
The Met Office has called it the country’s ‘first taste of winter’ and warned that the snow could lead to possible power cuts, public transport delays and disruption of mobile services.
Major English cities affected by snow warning
- Manchester
- Liverpool
- Newcastle
- Leeds
- Sheffield
- Nottingham
- Stoke
- Chester
- Lincoln
- Derby
- York
- Durham
- Hull
The Met Office said: ‘Although most snow is still likely to accumulate on higher ground, with 5-10 cm on ground over 200 metres and possibly 15-20 cm over 300 metres, there is a chance that snow may settle at lower levels within the warning area. This possible 5-10 cm at lower levels is likely to be more disruptive, particularly if travelling and if the snow coincides rush hour, but the likelihood for that is still uncertain at this stage
‘As rain, sleet and snow clear on Tuesday morning, ice may form on untreated surfaces.’
Snow is notoriously hard to predict and the Met Office has added that there is potential for the alerts to be ‘escalated’. Guess we’ll be in hibernation mode for the foreseeable.
Will it snow in London this week?
Time Out, snow-style
Snow’s not all bad. And if you’re a fan of the stuff, check out the Met Office’s list of the UK’s snowiest spots or our roundup of the best winter destinations in Europe. We’ve also got you covered with the best things to do in London when it snows, some brilliant winter day trips from London, cosy winter cottage breaks and even a list of the finest songs about snow.
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