Travel chaos is gripping the United Kingdom as a severe cold spell blankets the nation with snow and ice, triggering a cascade of weather warnings and prompting urgent safety advice.
Widespread Warnings and Forecast Impacts
The Met Office has issued a series of yellow and amber weather alerts across large swathes of the country. An amber warning for snow is active for northern Scotland until noon on Saturday, with forecasts predicting staggering accumulations of up to 20cm on low ground and a potential 40cm on higher terrain. This alert warns of probable power cuts and the risk of vehicles becoming stranded in blizzard-like conditions.
Simultaneously, a broader yellow warning for snow and ice covered areas from London and Kent through to Greater Manchester and Cardiff until midday on Friday. A separate yellow ice warning for south-west England was also in force until 10am. The forecaster stated these wintry conditions, bringing 2-5cm of snow to many areas, are expected to persist throughout the weekend and into next week.
Transport Networks Under Strain
The AA has estimated that 20.7 million car journeys were likely to be undertaken across the UK on Friday 2nd January, following 18 million on New Year's Day. Authorities are urging the public to prepare for significantly longer travel times by road, rail, and bus services. The situation follows difficult driving conditions already experienced in the Highlands and north-east Scotland on New Year's Day.
Heavy fog, like that photographed on the M4 at Taplow in Buckinghamshire on New Year's Eve, has compounded visibility issues alongside the snow and ice.
Health Alert Issued for Vulnerable
Alongside the travel disruption, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has enacted a cold weather alert for all of England, which remains in place until 10am on 6th January. The agency warns the freezing conditions are likely to have significant impacts on health and social care services, including an increased risk of mortality for those aged 65 and over or with existing health conditions.
A Met Office spokesperson confirmed the outlook, stating: "We expect this cold spell to persist into the weekend and on into next week, with further warnings possible as temperatures remain well below average and snow showers continue in places."
