Cheshire has been hit with a new 36-hour snow and ice weather warning for the weekend. The yellow Met Office warning comes into force at midday on Saturday and will be in place until midnight on Sunday.
It comes as temperatures continue to plummet. Some parts of the county could see lows of -7C tonight, while over the next couple of days temperatures are unlikely to rise above 5C. The yellow weather warning warns: “Heavy snow, and some freezing rain in places, may cause some disruption over the weekend.”
An amber cold-health alert has also been issued by the Government, covering the North West and Cheshire. It comes into force from midday today and will remain until 12pm on Wednesday, January 8.
It states: “Forecast weather is expected to have significant impacts across health and social care services, including: a rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions. We may also see impacts on younger age groups; a likely increase in demand for health services; temperatures inside places like hospitals, care homes, and clinics dropping below the levels recommended for assessing health risks; challenges keeping indoor temperatures at the recommended 18°C leading to more risk to vulnerable people; staffing issues due to external factors (such as travel delays); other sectors starting to observe impacts (such as transport and energy).”
Paul Gundersen, chief forecaster for the Met Office, said: “Overnight we have a series of National Severe Weather Warnings in place. Standing water remaining from the heavy rainfall of the last few days will freeze, creating a risk for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians navigating untreated surfaces. Wintry showers remain a hazard especially for north-facing coasts and hills.”
Deputy chief forecaster Dan Holley added: “At this stage there is a fair amount of uncertainty over exactly which areas will see disruptive snow, with parts of Wales, northern England and the Midlands most likely to see some impacts. Here we could see 5cm or more in quite a few areas, and perhaps as much as 20-30cm over high ground, including Wales and the Pennines. Coupled with strengthening winds this could lead to drifting, making travelling conditions difficult over higher-level routes in particular.”
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