Weather: Brits wake to ice-covered roads with travel chaos warnings
Ice has covered parts of the UK today as temperatures dropped to as low as -13.5C in some areas overnight.
A yellow ice warning was issued for parts of England, Wales and Scotland as of midday today.
People in Manchester, Newcastle, Plymouth, Glasgow, Cardiff and Edinburgh will be hit hardest by the conditions.
The Met Office has urged people to prepare for the extreme conditions that are already wreaking havoc on the streets.
Motorists have already issued warnings this morning after facing “very slippery and dangerous roads” covered in “black ice”.
A man in Essex’s Epping Forest complained that the streets had turned into a “literal ice rink”, forcing many elderly and vulnerable residents to remain trapped in their homes.
The Met Office warned that power and cellphone coverage could also be affected.
The extended weather warning comes as a number of flights were canceled or postponed amid heavy snowfall in parts of the UK yesterday.
Glasgow Airport was closed on Friday until its runaways were cleared of snow and ice. It reopened around 11:30 a.m.
On Sunday, the Met Office issued yellow weather warnings nationwide for snow and ice.
It comes into force tomorrow from 3am to 2pm in England and from 7am to 9pm across Scotland.
Forecasters say temperatures could rise temporarily on the Sundate, but this will bring high winds that bring snow, blizzards, ice and freezing rain.
It is expected that this will lead to more dangerous conditions on the roads.
Met Office Deputy Chief Forecaster Helen Caughey said: “The northerly airflow and cold conditions that have dominated our weather patterns for the past 10 days will lose ground to a mild breeze from the south-west on Sunday.
“When the mild air meets the cold air currently dominating the UK there will be temporary snow, possibly to low levels, particularly in the north.
“Add to this the risk of rain falling on frozen surfaces and strong winds over highland areas of northern Britain bringing blizzard conditions and this could be a day to avoid travel in some areas despite the snow receding would later turn to rain.
“There is also a brief risk of a spell of freezing rain that will most likely hit areas from the Pennines north, which could cause some power disruptions.”
Ms Caughey said cold temperatures were likely to return next week but it was too early to say if there would be a white Christmas.
She said: “It will remain unresolved next week. Strong winds could prove disruptive at times, particularly in the first half of the week, and there is a chance of sustained rain in parts of the South West.
“While not as cold as we are currently experiencing, we could potentially see a return of some winter hazards at times, mainly at higher elevations in the north, but there is still a great deal of uncertainty as to how long this could last and what the hazards are are connected it could bring.
“The choppy picture for next week means that while Christmas is only a week away, it is not yet possible to say with certainty whether or not we will have a white Christmas Day.”
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https://metro.co.uk/2022/12/17/weather-brits-wake-up-to-roads-covered-with-ice-with-warnings-for-travel-chaos-17954290/ Weather: Brits wake to ice-covered roads with travel chaos warnings