Heavy snow and freezing rain sweep Britain as amber warnings in place
Up to 30cm of snowfall is expected in some areas as the Met Office warned of rare freezing rain across England and Wales
Heavy snow has caused travel disruption across the country as flights were cancelled and motorways were closed after two amber weather warnings came into force.
Bristol Airport was forced to temporarily suspend flights for a few hours as it rushed to clear its runway of snow on Saturday night, with dozens of flights affected.
The M5 was also closed off in different directions due to a number of collisions between Weston-super-Mare and Taunton in Somerset.
It comes as more freezing weather is set to hit the UK over the weekend, with eight Met Office weather warnings issued between Saturday and Monday morning.
An amber warning for snow and freezing rain covering most of Wales and central England is in place from 6pm on Saturday to midday on Sunday.
The second warning for snow, covering most of northern England including Leeds, Sheffield and the Lake District, has been issued from 9pm on Saturday to midnight on Sunday.
Both of the warning areas can expect to see 3cm to 7cm of snowfall widely, while snow may mix with rain at times in lower-lying areas, the Met Office said.
Additional yellow weather warnings for snow and ice will be in force for most areas of the UK, covering different periods of time over the weekend.
A yellow warning for snow and ice from midday on Saturday to midnight on Sunday was issued for much of England and Wales not covered by the amber warnings.
A yellow warning for snow and ice covering much of Northern Ireland also came into effect from 9pm on Saturday to 6pm on Sunday.
A yellow warning for ice was also in place for the north of Scotland from 4pm on Saturday to 10am on Sunday while a yellow warning for snow in the Shetland Islands has been issued for Saturday from 10am to 6pm.
There is also a yellow warning for rain covering much of Wales and the West Midlands on Sunday from 6am to 9pm.
Met Office chief forecaster Jason Kelly said some “significant accumulations” of snow were possible in parts of Wales, the Midlands and northern England, and the additional factor of strengthening winds could lead to drifting of lying snow.
He added: “There is a risk of freezing rain across parts of the Midlands and northern England, but especially Wales, adding to the risk of ice and leading to some treacherous conditions in places.
“As the super-cooled rain droplets hit the surface they instantly freeze, covering everything in a layer of ice, making it extremely dangerous.”
Meanwhile, National Highways warned a “spell of disruptive snow” would spread across southern and central parts of the road network on Saturday night.
Drivers in high-altitude areas, particularly the Cotswolds and Peak District, were warned to take particular care. Gwent Police issued a warning for black ice on Friday.
Road users in England’s north were warned that up to 25cm of snow could hit parts of the network including the A66 Old Spittal, A628 Woodhead Pass and M62 at Windy Hill.
Meanwhile, Bristol Airport suspended flights after heavy snowfall with up to 17 diversions as of 9.30pm on Saturday.
In a statement posted on its website, the airport said: “Snowfall at Bristol may result in some delays to flights. “Customers are asked to contact their airline for the latest flight information.”
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