UK weather warning: Snow causes road trouble as flood warnings issued

Southwestern English cities from Bristol to Hereford have had a snowy start to the weekend, after temperatures plummeted overnight Friday in a sudden, brutal cold snap.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather alert in the Bristol, Bath, Gloucester and Hereford areas for Saturday morning (2 March) warning that a snowy spell might lead to tricky driving conditions in some places. Roads and railways are likely to be affected, the forecaster says, and people should prepare for bus, train, and road journeys to take a little longer.

Temperatures in Bristol are sitting at a frigid 1C as of Saturday morning. BristolWorld reporters that snow began falling in the early hours of the morning, building up about half an inch of snow cover. There were still flurries in the southern and western parts of the city as of 9.30am, the local media outlet said, but rain was quickly turning it to slippery slush.

Meanwhile in Gloucestershire, the local police warn the Forest of Dean, Dursley, M5 and Cotswolds have experienced substantial snowfall on the county's roads overnight. The force has warned the poor weather conditions could lead to collisions - and the possibility of being stranded.

Up in Herefordshire, the Hereford Times report that snow is causing issues on the roads. The A465 Hereford to Bromyard road was partially blocked for much of the morning, and although the road had since reopened, reporters said "conditions are still proving to be problematic". There were also also reported issues on the A44 at Bringsty.

The region, as well as much of Wales and England's southern coast, had been lashed by wind and rain on Friday, the subject of more Met Office yellow weather warnings. There were a number of short term power losses, the forecaster said, while coastal communities were buffeted by sea spray and large waves.

As of Saturday morning, the UK government's flood map shows dozens of flood alerts and warnings for locations across the south of England - including potential groundwater flooding in southern parts of London. You can see if you area is affected here.

This comes as the Met Office announced last month had broken records, as both the warmest February on record - and the one with the most rainfall across some regions. The south of England experienced its wettest February since records began in 1836, with some areas seeing over twice the average rainfall.

East Anglia had its wettest and warmest February on record, with 10.64mm of rainfall and an average temperature of 8.2C.