UK weather: Snow blankets parts of country, with flooded areas set for more rain

24 February 2020, 06:39

By EJ Ward

@EJWardNews

Snow has started to fall in parts of Scotland and northern England today, with further flood warnings in place in England and Wales.

This morning, snow was falling in Scotland, as well as in parts of Cumbria, Northumberland, and Yorkshire.

In Leeming Bar, North Yorkshire, cars were pictured slowly making their way through the wintry conditions.

Elsewhere, on social media, people were reporting cold weather as far south as Leeds, sharing pictures of snow covering cars and gardens.

A yellow weather warning for snow is in place across the vast majority of Scotland, from the border, to north of Inverness, until late on Monday evening.

The Met Office has warned that rural communities could become stranded and told to expect delays and cancellations to travel plans by road, rail, and air.

Further south, yellow warnings for rain and snow are also covering Northern Ireland and the north of England.

In Cumbria, police were warning drivers to exercise caution, and described conditions on the roads as "hazardous".

As well as the chill, flood waters were still causing risks across the country.

Further south, a fresh severe flood warning - meaning an imminent danger to life - has been issued for the River Severn in Shrewsbury, as the Environment Agency warned of ongoing flooding dangers across England.

Met Office forecaster Simon Partridge said: “It could be a pretty tricky commute first thing tomorrow for a lot of people.

“It’s certainly turning more wintry.”

Mr Partridge said Northern Ireland and parts of northern England are also expected to see snow, especially on higher ground where yellow weather warnings have been issued for snow and rain.

Areas of the north that dodge the snow are still likely to see large amounts of rain and gale-force winds, the forecaster added.

As well as the severe flood warning for Shrewsbury, the Environment Agency (EA) had issued 91 flood warnings and 182 flood alerts by Monday morning.

Warnings and alerts were in place from Cornwall to the Norfolk coast and from Dorset to the Scottish border.

An EA spokesman said ongoing flooding is possible for parts of the West Midlands, along the Severn and Wye and also in parts of the north of England, including in the lower River Aire in Yorkshire.

England has already received over 141 per cent of its average February rainfall so far but the spokesman said it was too early to comment on reports that it may be the wettest February for 30 years.

While the extreme weather should settle down over Tuesday and Wednesday - accompanied with a notable dip in temperatures - the Met Office warned further heavy rain is expected on Friday.