Saturday, January 12, 2013

ONE FOOT of snow this weekend: But don't worry... councils say they're as prepared as ever!

Up to a foot of snow will fall over the weekend as a blast of Arctic air creates treacherous conditions across the country.
Forecasters expect up to four inches of snow to fall in parts of Britain from today until Monday as temperatures in the countryside drop to a finger-numbing minus 8C (18F).
And the Met Office has issued several ‘yellow’ warnings nationwide for ice and snow over the weekend.

Monday has been marked out as a ‘snow day’ by forecasters, with most of the country carpeted in at least an inch.
Higher ground across the Midlands, eastern England and Scotland could by then have received its third successive coating of four inches of snow.


In London, forecasters predict minor ‘flurries’ of snow across the weekend, but ‘at least’ an inch of snow is expected to fall on the capital late on Monday night, when freezing temperatures mean it is expected to settle.
This morning a blanket of thick fog settled over the City, looking like a harbinger of the unforgiving weather to come.
The only area likely to escape snow is the South West, although it is expected to be icy there.

Councils across the country have warned that many residential roads will not be gritted or cleared.
The Local Government Association said councils were ‘as prepared as ever’ and insisted there would not be a repeat of the big freeze of 2010, when large parts of the transport network ground to a halt.
But it admitted council gritters and snowploughs could not clear every street.
A spokesman said: ‘In the side roads which aren’t gritted by councils, drivers will need to be extra careful.’ The AA warned three-quarters of motorists were not ready for the weather this weekend – with those in London the least prepared.
It advised drivers to carry warm clothing and snacks in the car and to keep speeds down, especially on rural roads. The RAC said it is expecting up to 56,000 breakdowns and widespread disruption.


Train services could also face disruption, according to Network Rail.
It plans to run trains through the night to stop tracks from freezing over and treat electric rails with anti-freeze.
Meanwhile, Manchester Airport said it was ‘on alert for snow’ and Gatwick Airport said there was ‘a possibility’ of disruption on Monday, depending on the levels of snowfall.
Heathrow said it did not expect to have to cancel any flights over the weekend.

In December, less than an inch of snow caused five airports, including Stansted and Luton, to close.
And three inches of snow led Heathrow Airport to cancel half its flights last February.
Met Office forecaster Charles Powell said: ‘There could be some disruption to travel, especially on Monday when more widespread snow is forecast.’
Looking ahead, John Lee, a Meteogroup forecaster, said: ‘It will stay cold into next week, with temperatures quite widely not getting above 4C (39F) during the day.’

DAILYMAIL

No comments: