Met Office issues yellow warning for snow and ice

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for snow and ice across much of the north of Wales as temperatures plummet into minus figures.

The warning will remain in place for north Wales until 12pm on Tuesday.

The cold snap could last until Friday and forecasters have warned snow showers and icy stretches may bring some travel disruption.

The wintry conditions moved in from the Arctic over the weekend following last week’s floods which saw parts of Wales submerged.

The colder conditions and frosty nights are expected across Wales but by the weekend temperatures will turn milder.

Treacherous conditions could also lead to slips and falls on icy surfaces, and the Met Office urged drivers and cyclists to beware of icy patches on untreated roads.

The Met Office added: “Snow showers will become more frequent through Monday, continuing to feed in on north-westerly winds overnight.

“Accumulations of a couple of centimetres are possible at low levels, with higher ground expected to see 5-10cm in places.

“In addition, icy stretches are likely to form following showers.”

Freezing

Met Office senior meteorologist Alex Burkill said: “It’s fair to say it’s cold today, cold tonight, cold tomorrow and cold through much of the week really.

There will be “lots of clear blue skies” by later on Monday, but cold temperatures will remain, with “absolute highs of 6C or 7C” while many places will be “several degrees colder than that”.

He added: “Lots of places will be low single figures, some places will stay below freezing today.”

The cold weather with “showery rain, sleet and snow” will continue into Wednesday and Thursday before becoming “more changeable” on Friday and conditions are “milder by the weekend,” he said.

“By the weekend there will be a real upturn in temperatures,” he added.

Rod Dennis, RAC spokesman, said: “After last week’s flooded roads, it’s now ice that poses the biggest danger to drivers.

“Anyone setting out needs to be particularly careful when driving on rural or other quiet roads which haven’t been gritted – key as always is slowing down so that drivers have as much time as possible to react should their cars lose grip.

“And, although this week’s cold snap will be much briefer than the freezing conditions we saw in December that led to the RAC’s busiest week ever, we’re still expecting to see a big increase in breakdowns.

“Batteries failing in the cold will be the top reason for calling us out, but people whose cars do start are most likely to need our help with tyre problems.”