The North East is braced for snow and icy conditions this weekend, which could cause travel disruption, power cuts and some rural communities being cut-off.
A 15-hour Amber weather warning has been issued for snow for parts of the region, including West Northumberland and County Durham, from 9pm tonight, Saturday, January 4, while a yellow warning for snow and ice has been put in place for most of the region for 24 hours from 12pm today.
A Met Office spokesperson said: “Snow will reach the south of the warning area later Saturday, then spread north across the rest of the area through Sunday morning. Snow will be persistent and heavy at times, and will likely drift in brisk easterly winds, especially over higher ground.
“Much of the warning area can expect 3-7cm of snow. Areas above about 150m will likely see 15-30 cm, with 40 cm for ground above 300m, before snow begins to ease and clear by the end of Sunday. For some lower-lying areas, such as the Vale of York, snow may mix with rain at times making estimations of snow depths here more difficult. Regardless, travel will likely be difficult, with power line icing an additional impact.”
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According to the hour-by-hour forecast, most of the North East will not see snow showers hit until the early hours of Sunday morning. Temperatures will peak at a few degrees above freezing and will hover at around 2°C or 3°C. Coastal areas are expected to see more sleet than snow.
Choniclelive will be running a live blog on the weather over the weekend but here is an hour-by-hour forecast for Newcastle this weekend:
Saturday
12pm: Partially cloudy, 2°C, chance of rain: <5%, Wind gust: 15mph.
1pm: Partially cloudy, 3°C, chance of rain: <5%, Wind gust: 13mph.
2pm: Partially cloudy, 3°C, chance of rain: <5%, Wind gust: 12mph.
3pm: Partially cloudy, 3°C, chance of rain: <5%, Wind gust: 12mph.
4pm: Partially cloudy, 2°C, chance of rain: <5%, Wind gust: 12mph.
5pm: Partially cloudy, 2°C, chance of rain: <5%, Wind gust: 12mph.
6pm: Partially cloudy, 2°C, chance of rain: <5%, Wind gust: 12mph.
7pm: Cloudy, 2°C, chance of rain: <5%, Wind gust: 13mph.
8pm: Cloudy, 2°C, chance of rain: <5%, Wind gust: 13mph.
9pm: Cloudy, 1°C, chance of rain: <5%, Wind gust: 14mph.
10pm: Cloudy, 1°C, chance of rain: 10%, Wind gust: 15mph.
11pm: Cloudy, 1°C, chance of rain: 10%, Wind gust: 14mph.
Sunday
12am: Cloudy, 1°C, chance of rain: 40%, Wind gust: 15mph
1am: Snow showers, 1°C, chance of rain/snow: 70%, Wind gust: 16mph
2am: Snow showers, 1°C, chance of rain/snow: 90%, Wind gust: 16mph
3am: Sleet/snow, 1°C, chance of rain/snow: >95%, Wind gust: 17mph
4am: Sleet/snow, 1°C, chance of rain/snow: >95%, Wind gust: 21mph
5am: Sleet/snow, 1°C, chance of rain/snow: >95%, Wind gust: 23mph
6am: Sleet/snow, 1°C, chance of rain/snow: >95%, Wind gust: 25mph
7am: Heavy rain, 2°C, chance of rain/snow: >95%, Wind gust: 26mph
8am: Heavy rain, 2°C, chance of rain/snow: >95%, Wind gust: 27mph
9am: Heavy rain, 2°C, chance of rain/snow: >95%, Wind gust: 28mph
10am: Heavy rain, 2°C, chance of rain/snow: >95%, Wind gust: 28mph
11am: Heavy rain, 3°C, chance of rain/snow: >95%, Wind gust: 28mph
12pm: Heavy rain, 3°C, chance of rain/snow: >95%, Wind gust: 28mph
1pm: Heavy rain, 3°C, chance of rain/snow: >95%, Wind gust: 28mph
2pm: Heavy rain, 3°C, chance of rain/snow: >95%, Wind gust: 28mph
3pm: Heavy rain, 3°C, chance of rain/snow: >95%, Wind gust: 28mph
4pm: Heavy rain, 3°C, chance of rain/snow: >95%, Wind gust: 28mph
5pm: Heavy rain, 3°C, chance of rain/snow: >95%, Wind gust: 27mph
6pm: Heavy rain, 3°C, chance of rain/snow: >95%, Wind gust: 28mph
7pm: Heavy rain, 3°C, chance of rain/snow: >95%, Wind gust: 28mph
8pm: Heavy rain, 3°C, chance of rain/snow: >95%, Wind gust: 28mph
9pm: Heavy rain, 3°C, chance of rain/snow: >95%, Wind gust: 27mph
10pm: Heavy rain, 3°C, chance of rain/snow: >95%, Wind gust: 27mph
11pm: Heavy rain, 3°C, chance of rain/snow: >95%, Wind gust: 28mph
On Monday, further wind and rain or hill snow will clear but it will remain cold, with sunny spells.