UK weather: Snow and ice warnings for large parts of UK after flood chaos

Snow and ice warnings have been issued for large swathes of the UK, bringing the risk of further disruption to flood-hit towns.

The Met Office said wintry showers and icy conditions are likely to bring some travel disruption and a risk of injury from slips and falls from Wednesday night into Thursday.

A yellow weather warning for snow and ice has been issued for most of northern England, the Midlands, north Wales, Northern Ireland and northern and western Scotland from 10pm until 10am on Thursday.

Further yellow warnings for snow are in place across East Anglia, the Thames Valley area and South Wales on Thursday morning.

It comes after an emergency evacuation was ordered in Ironbridge in Shropshire on Wednesday after police said rising water levels from the River Severn had left flood barriers “overwhelmed”.

Flood defences in Bewdley in Worcestershire were also breached, as the Environment Agency issued two severe flood warnings in Shropshire – indicating a “danger to life” – covering the towns of Shrewsbury and Ironbridge.

Met Office meteorologist Helen Roberts told Sky News temperatures could fall to -2C (28.4F) or -3C (26.6F) in northern England and Scotland in the early hours of Thursday.

Temperatures of zero are expected across the Midlands, while the mercury is predicted to hit 2C (35.6C) or 3C (37.4F) in southern England, she added.

Ms Roberts said most areas affected by the weather warnings will see wintry showers bringing low levels of snow or sleet.

However 1-3cm of snow could fall in areas above 100m, while 5-10cm could be seen on higher ground above 400m, she added.

The Local Government Association said councils had an estimated 1.5 million tonnes of salt stockpiled to grit roads.

Sky News weather presenter Isobel Lang said: “Wednesday will be a colder day, but the gales around western coasts should slowly ease.

“Most places will see sunshine and wintry showers, with the heaviest downpours expected in the west.

“On Thursday, showers will continue to affect Northern Ireland, the north of Ireland, Scotland and northwest England.

“Some heavy, persistent rain is likely to push across southern England during the day. The threat from river and ground water flooding will continue.”

There are also yellow warnings for rain across Wales and northwest England on Friday and Saturday, with a risk of flooding and disruption to transport.

The Met Office said the outlook was “unsettled and often windy” for Friday to Sunday.

It said there will be a “spell of wet weather for many on Friday, clearing on Saturday with a return to rather cold conditions with sunny/clear spells and wintry showers”.

(c) Sky News 2020: UK weather: Snow and ice warnings for large parts of UK after flood chaos