A three-day weather warning for snow has been issued for Nottinghamshire as the county braces itself for disruption. The Met Office warning comes into force at 9am on Saturday, January 4.
The warning covers the majority of England, with the exception of the very south west and parts of the eastern coast. The Met Office said ‘significant accumulations of snow are possible’.
The Met Office said: “Outbreaks of rain spreading progressively northeastwards later on Saturday and overnight into Sunday will likely be preceded by a spell of snow on its northern flank. Whilst there is some uncertainty, any snow in southern and eastern parts of England, especially at low levels, will probably be rather transient before turning back to rain.
“However, some significant accumulations of snow are possible across parts of Wales, the Midlands and northern England in particular, at least for a time, where 5 cm or more could accumulate fairly widely, with perhaps as much as 20-30 cm over high ground of mid and north Wales and potentially 30-40 cm over parts of the Pennines. This, accompanied by strengthening winds, may lead to drifting of lying snow.
“In addition, as milder air moves northwards, snow may turn to a spell of freezing rain for a time, again more especially across parts of Wales, the Midlands and northern England, adding to the risk of ice and leading to some treacherous conditions in places. A fairly rapid thaw of lying snow is possible later on Sunday, although exactly how far north the rapid thaw will reach remains uncertain at this stage.”
A weather map show expected accumulations of snow at 9am on Sunday, January 5
(Image: WXCharts)
Weather maps now show the predicted amounts of snow expected in Nottingham. A map from WXCharts shows there could be 3cm of snow by 9am on Sunday, January 5 with heavy snow from Saturday evening and overnight into Sunday.
The Met Office added there was also a chance of power cuts and ‘a slight chance that some rural communities could become cut off’. The UK Health Security Agency has also issued an amber cold health alert for the East Midlands with a score of 12 out of a maximum of 16.
The UKHSA said: “Forecast weather is likely to cause 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) and other sectors starting to observe impacts (such as transport and energy).”