UK weather live: More snow on the way as Britain braces for power cuts and travel chaos
Met Office warns of disruption across southern England, the Midlands and eastern Wales
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Your support makes all the difference.The UK is bracing for another wave of snow and ice, with the Met Office issuing multiple warnings as temperatures plunged overnight, raising concerns over travel disruptions and power outages.
A yellow ice warning covering much of the east coast is in place from 4pm Wednesday until 10am Thursday, stretching from Newcastle to Norwich.
The forecaster also extended a yellow snow and ice warning across northern Scotland between 10am Wednesday and 12pm Thursday.
Between 5am and 3pm on Thursday, a snow warning was issued for southwest England, stretching from Weymouth across to Plymouth.
“This will feel like the first taste of winter for many, with the snow and ice risks layered on top,” Met Office spokesperson Stephen Dixon said.
On Tuesday, the cold weather led to closure of over 140 schools mid, north-east, and south-east Wales, affecting areas such as Wrexham, Powys, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Torfaen, and Blaenau Gwent.
Boy, 16, missing on freezing remote Scottish island
A 16-year-old boy has vanished in freezing conditions on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland, where helicopters and police are frantically searching for him.
Aleksandr Benga was last seen wearing a jumper and jeans at around 8.45am on Monday near the water wheel in the grounds of Lews Castle.
Stornoway coastguard helicopter, a local coastguard team, and RNLI’s Stornoway lifeboat are also involved in the search for him.
Police sergeant Liam Coleman said: “We are growing increasingly worried for the welfare of Aleksandr and would ask if anyone knows where he is to contact us.
“Anyone with any information is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident 0803 of Monday, November 18, 2024.”
Why do schools close in the snow?
Schools are only allowed to close in “exceptional circumstances”, says the Department for Education - but it is the headteacher who makes the decision.
The head considers how safe the journey to school is, as well as the safety of the site itself. Staff often travel much further than pupils, and in all directions, so the area considered is larger than some parents might think.
Even if the snow seems safe in the morning, schools can close if conditions are forecast to get much worse.
Tips for driving in icy conditions
It is safer not to drive in heavy snow and icy conditions but if you absolutely must drive, keep yourself and others safe by:
- Using dipped headlights
- Accelerate gently, use low revs and change to higher gears as quickly as possible
- Starting in second gear will help with wheel slip
- Maintain a safe and steady speed. Keep your distance from other vehicles
- Keep a constant speed up hills. Leave plenty of room between cars
- Use a low gear to go down hill and try to avoid braking unless necessary
- Steer into skids. Do not take your hands of the wheel or slam on the brakes
Winter hazards likely throughout week, Met Office warns
Met Office Chief Meteorologist Neil Armstrong said: “With cold Arctic air firmly in place over the UK, continued winter hazards are likely through much of this week, with further updates to warnings likely in the coming days.
“The current focus for upcoming snow and ice risk is from later on Tuesday and overnight into Wednesday, with snow showers likely moving in off windward coasts in the north and east, as well as drifting into parts of Northern Ireland and Wales.
“In excess of 10cm of snow is possible over higher ground within the warning areas, with 1-2cm possibly settling at lower levels, which has the potential to lead to some travel disruption. Ice is an additional hazard and is likely to form quickly on untreated surfaces.”
Pictured: Aerial views of snow-covered towns and villages
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