The Met Office has issued an updated weather warning for many parts of Kent. Now for snow and ice, the yellow warning is in place from noon on Saturday (January 4) to 11.59pm on Sunday (January 5).
Forecasters said “heavy snow and some freezing rain” may cause disruption over the weekend. They added that people can expect a small chance of power cuts and other services, such as mobile phone coverage, may be affected.
The warning zone for Kent includes Tunbridge Wells, Maidstone, Ashford and parts of Canterbury. A large part of England and all of Wales are also included, and forecasters say there’s a chance some rural communities could “become cut off”.
The Met Office said any snow in southern England would be transient and likely to turn to rain. Some areas could see delays to journeys by road and disruption to trains.
The yellow weather warning for snow and ice covers most of the county
(Image: Met Office)
Today’s update (January 2) comes a day after forecasters issued a 45-hour snow warning for parts of Kent. The initial alert was still a yellow weather warning, but just for snow and it was in place from noon on Saturday to 9am on Monday (January 6).
Currently, the weather from Saturday to Monday for the South East is forecast to be a frosty start followed by cloud and we could see some rain or perhaps snow temporarily, arriving later. It is likely to be milder on Sunday, with more wind on the way, and some rain. It’s expected to be windy again on Monday, and it will get colder with some showers, said the Met Office.
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What is a yellow weather warning?
The Met Office issues weather warnings so everyone from residents to emergency responders know what weather is expected and the impact it could have. It describes what a yellow weather warning is: “Yellow warnings can be issued for a range of weather situations.
“Many are issued when it is likely that the weather will cause some low-level impacts, including some disruption to travel in a few places. Many people may be able to continue with their daily routine, but there will be some that will be directly impacted and so it is important to assess if you could be affected.
“Other yellow warnings are issued when the weather could bring much more severe impacts to the majority of people but the certainty of those impacts occurring is much lower. It is important to read the content of yellow warnings to determine which weather situation is being covered by the yellow warning.”