Met Office forecast: Fresh snow warning for southern England as UK's wintry weather continues
A new weather warning for southern England has been issued by the Met Office as the snowy conditions continue to hit parts of the UK.
The weather service has issued a yellow warning for snow covering the southern counties of England. It is in place from 9am on Wednesday morning (January 8) until midnight.
There are warnings that the snow could be disruptive in some areas, with up to 10cm possibly falling on higher ground. Between two and five centimetres are expected to fall in most areas.
It comes as other weather warnings are already in place, including yellow warnings for snow and ice covering the Midlands, North Wales, north-west England, western and northern Scotland, and Northern Ireland. These warnings are set to expire by around midday on Wednesday.
Temperatures are also expected to remain very low this week, and may even dip to -14C on Wednesday night and -16C on Thursday night in parts of north-east England and Scotland. This would be the coldest night of the year so far.
Met Office chief forecaster Jason Kelly said: “With cold weather persisting across the UK this week we have a number of severe weather warnings for wintry hazards. Snow showers will continue to fall over Scotland, Northern Ireland and into Northern Wales and northern England too.
“Where surface water and snow freeze overnight there is a risk of ice as temperatures widely dip below freezing. There will however be good spells of sunshine for those away from northern coasts, though it’ll still feel cold in the northerly breeze.”
The UK has battled with wintry conditions since New Years’ Eve, with the Environment Agency estimating that at least 300 properties have been flooded since December 31. Alongside the ice and snow, heavy rainfall in some areas, particularly the north-west of England and Yorkshire, has seen rivers burst their banks multiple incidences of surface water flooding.
Floods minister Emma Hardy said: “My sympathies go out to the people, businesses and communities impacted by the recent flooding across the country. I want to express my heartfelt thanks for the vital work that the Environment Agency and emergency services are doing to keep people safe. People must continue to follow their advice and sign up for flood warnings.”