UK weather: yellow warnings for snow and ice issued ahead of heavy downpours of 100mm rain

Weather conditions are set to turn milder with yellow warnings for rain in place from Thursday
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Snow is forecast to hit large parts of the UK on today (Wednesday 15 March) before the cold blast is replaced by milder weather.

Snow spells are expected across parts of northern England and Scotland from this afternoon and into the early hours of Thursday (16 March). Areas in northern England are covered by a yellow ice alert until 10am this morning, with commuters warned of icy patches developing on untreated surfaces.

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The snow is mainly going to affect areas above 100-200m before turning to rain as milder weather is forecast to spread across the country towards the end of the week.

Rain is likely to be the main hazard on Thursday, with further downpours expected to arrive on Friday (17 March). The Met Office said some areas could possibly see an excess of 100mm of rain.

Yellow weather warnings for rain are in place from today into Thursday covering regions including the East and West Midlands, north-west England, Central, Tayside and Fife, south-west Scotland, Lothian Borders Strathclyde, Yorkshire and Humber, plus parts of Wales.

Periods of “persistent rain” are set to hit parts of Northern Ireland from today.

A woman walks a dog in Nenthead in the North Pennines in Cumbria (Image by PA Media) A woman walks a dog in Nenthead in the North Pennines in Cumbria (Image by PA Media)
A woman walks a dog in Nenthead in the North Pennines in Cumbria (Image by PA Media)

‘Conditions turn milder’

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Chief forecaster Dan Suri said the first half of the week will see “another dose of snow and frosty nights for some” due to “an Arctic maritime air mass” which has “reasserted itself from the north.”

He added: “As we head through the second half of the week, conditions turn milder, wetter and windier from the west. This change to milder conditions will be preceded by some snow over parts of northern England and Scotland later on Wednesday, mainly over higher ground.

“The far north of Scotland is most likely to hold on to the cold air the longest, possibly lingering until later in the weekend.”

Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Helen Caughey said: “The transition to milder air in the second half of the week might be welcome for some, but it brings with it wet and windy conditions, as low pressure moves in from the west, which will bring some heavy and persistent rain to some western and northern areas, as well as some gusty winds, especially for exposed coastal areas.”

‘Challenging weather’

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Stein Connelly of Transport Scotland advised travellers to plan ahead and keep an eye on the road conditions.

He said that “large parts” of Scotland will “continue to see challenging weather” over the next few days so travellers should look at their route in advance and “drive to the conditions and follow any Police Scotland travel advice that’s in place.”

He added: “There may be disruption on other modes of transport, so you should check with your operators before setting off if you’re planning to travel by rail, ferry or air.”

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