Warning of wintry showers and ice across UK from Sunday evening
The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for ice in a wide belt across the centre of the UK.
Wintry showers are expected to create icy conditions across all four nations of the UK from Sunday evening, forecasters have warned.
The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for ice covering Northern Ireland, southern Scotland, northern England, northern Wales and the Midlands, while hundreds of flood warnings are in place across the UK.
The alert, which warns that “wintry showers” will lead to “difficult driving conditions” due to slippery surfaces, is in place from 6pm on Sunday until 10am on Monday.
The Met Office has also issued a lengthy yellow warning for snow and ice across northern Scotland from 2pm on Sunday through to 10am on Wednesday.
Another warning for snow across parts of south-east England has been issued by the forecaster for Monday, lasting from 2am until 8am.
Residents are urged to take care as there may be some icy patches on some untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths, and some roads and railways are likely to be affected, with longer journey times.
Met Office meteorologist Craig Snell warned those driving to work on Monday to leave plenty of time for their journeys, as the worst of the ice is expected to be during rush hour.
“We are starting to see the cold weather coming in from the Arctic, so we have now started to issue warnings for snow and ice across the UK,” he said.
“We have got a couple of areas we are keeping a very close eye on – we could well see some wintry showers develop tonight across the middle band of the UK, with a risk of snow on high ground and slippery surfaces on lower areas.
“This could be a problem during rush hour, it could cause a few problems on the roads. The risk of flooding is still there.”
Mr Snell added that while “cold and wintry weather” is set to “dominate the UK” through the week, the weekend looks milder.
“Compared to the cold spell in December, it doesn’t look like it’s going to last as long,” he said.
The Met Office has said overnight temperatures will dip below 0C for much of the UK, while sheltered glens and high areas of Scotland could see -10C.
More than 100 flood warnings are also in place across the UK.
Earlier, flood defences, including boarding, were deployed in York city centre.
City of York Council said it had taken the measure to keep the area “safe and open” as it urged visitors to plan their journeys in advance.
Rescue workers were seen using a boat to navigate floodwater in the centre of York after the River Ouse burst its banks.
The Environment Agency had issued 98 flood warnings and 180 flood alerts in England as of Sunday morning.
Meanwhile, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) has issued three flood warnings for areas of the Scottish Borders, Tayside and Ayrshire and Arran, along with two milder alerts for West Central Scotland.
