The Met Office has warned that people in Yorkshire face the risk of power cuts with rural villages also likely to be left isolated as the region faces the threat of 45 hours of snowfall.
A yellow weather warning for snow has been issued for the whole of Yorkshire with it running from midday on Saturday to 9am on Monday. It comes after the region was battered by high winds and severe rainfall which brought flooding to large parts of the area.
The Met Office says heavy snowfall may cause some disruption warning that there is a chance power cuts could happen and this could also affect mobile phone signals. They have also said ‘some rural communities could become cut off’ and vehicles are likely to become stranded.
In a statement they said: “Outbreaks of rain spreading northeastwards later on Saturday and overnight into Sunday will likely be preceded by a spell of snow on its northern flank. Whilst there is a fair bit of uncertainty as to how far north this may spread, and how long any snow will last, significant accumulations of snow are possible, especially (but not exclusively) on hills.
“Currently, parts of the Midlands, Wales and northern England are most at risk of disruption, where 5cm or more could accumulate fairly widely, with perhaps as much as 20-30 cm over high ground of Wales and/or the Pennines. This, accompanied by strengthening winds, may lead to drifting of lying snow.
A snow warning covering Yorkshire for 45 hours is in place
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“In addition, as milder air attempts to move northwards into southern and central areas, snow may turn to a spell of freezing rain for a time, adding to the risk of ice. If milder air is able to spread more bodily northwards, any snow in southern parts of the warning area may be relatively short-lived before turning to rain.
“Given the uncertainties, it is quite likely this warning area and start/end times will be refined over the coming days as confidence increases in areas most likely to be impacted.”
They advised that people should prepare for the severe weather adding: “People cope better when they have prepared in advance for the risk of power cuts or being cut off from services and amenities due to the snow. It’s easy to do; consider gathering torches and batteries, a mobile phone power pack and other essential items.”