Ice warnings across parts of UK as cold snap sets in

Icy conditions will sweep into more parts of the UK overnight, after snow and ice forced hundreds of schools to shut and closed roads on Thursday.

The Met Office has issued yellow warnings for ice in areas across the country including in parts of north-east Scotland, western Wales, south-west England, and along England’s east coast. Warnings are already in place in some areas.

Thursday is expected to see the week’s coldest night, with temperatures widely falling below zero and down to -12C (10.4F) in rural Scotland.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) issued cold-health alerts for England until Saturday, saying there could be significant impacts to the elderly and people with health conditions.

Some parts of the country had a blanket of snow on Thursday with Altnaharra in northern Scotland and Loch Glascarnoch in west Scotland recording 9 cm as of 11:00 GMT.

The snow and ice yellow warnings currently in place are:

• Parts of Wales including Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Conwy, Gwynedd, Swansea and Pembrokeshire until 23:59
• Parts of north-east England, south-west Scotland and Yorkshire & Humber until 23:59

The Met Office said snow amounts will vary depending on area, with some places receiving little or no snow, while others could pick up 2-5 cm, with the highest ground in northern Scotland potentially getting 15 – 25 cm.

The yellow ice warnings currently in place are:

• Cornwall in south-west England until 11:00 on Friday
• Parts of eastern, south-east England, east Midlands and Yorkshire & Humber until 11:00 on Friday
• Parts of north-east Scotland to 11:00 on Friday

The yellow ice warnings due to come into force later on Thursday and last into Friday are:

• Parts of north-east England and Yorkshire & Humber from 00:00 until 12:00 Friday
• Parts of western Wales from 00:00 to 11:00 on Friday

Gusty winds with occasional blizzard conditions, and potentially a few lightning strikes, could come with the snow showers, posing additional hazards.

Around 40 schools in North Yorkshire were closed on Thursday, while ten were also listed as closed in East Yorkshire.

In north-east Scotland, more than 100 schools were shuttered as heavy snow caused further disruption across the region.

Aberdeenshire Council said dozens of schools could not open, with schools in Moray and the Highlands also closed.

Major roads have been affected – including parts of the A90 which was closed for several hours.

Traffic Scotland has also reported that the A939 in Scotland has been closed at the snow gate at Tomintoul due to adverse weather conditions.

In Wales, National Grid said engineers were dealing with “several separate incidents” in the west of the country due to adverse weather conditions on Thursday afternoon.

Supply has since been restored in Newcastle Emlyn and Pontypridd, updates said.

Forty schools were closed in Pembrokeshire, seven in Ceredigion and 14 in Carmarthenshire.

Ela McLoughlin, 14, was glad to be off school in Crymych. Along with Helen McLoughlin, Conan Blake and their dog Madog, she walked up Foel Drygarn in the morning and saw people skiing.

In England, amber cold-health alerts have been issued by the UKHSA until 08:00 on Saturday for the North West, North East, and Yorkshire and Humber, with all other areas under less severe yellow alerts.

The alerts warn health and social care services of significant impacts to more vulnerable members of the community.

Alex Parker, from the North Yorkshire branch of charity Age UK, told the BBC he is “really concerned about the people that we support” and their “ability to get out and about, to be able to continue with their daily lives and to make sure they’re safe and comfortable in their own homes”.

That includes staying warm at home, as well as accessing food, drinks and medication.

Mr Parker is encouraging people to check in on elderly or vulnerable friends or neighbours.

In Beverley, David Jefferson, 79, told the BBC he finds the snow “difficult to walk in, especially when you get to my time of life.”

“The sooner it goes the better really.”