[ad_1]
Travel disruption is expected to push into the Monday morning rush hour, with yellow warnings of snow, fog and ice for much of the UK.
The Met Office issued warnings as temperatures were expected to drop below freezing overnight and wintry showers would create icy conditions.
The airport was forced to close its runways on Sunday evening due to snowfall and drivers were finding it difficult to get through.
Warnings were issued after four children were taken to hospital in a critical condition after being rescued after falling through the ice from a lake in Solihull in the West Midlands on Sunday afternoon.
Richard Stanton, area commander for West Midlands Fire and Rescue Service, said: “We know the weather forecast for the next few days is expected to be bitterly cold. Please, adults and children alike, stay away from open water, do not venture into the ice under any circumstances, no matter how thick or safe you think the ice is.”
Road users in the south-east were told not to travel unless absolutely necessary due to heavy snowfall on Sunday evening, with up to 10cm of snow forecast through national highways.
Canton was particularly hard hit, with the M2, M20 junctions 8 and 9, the A21 and the A249 severely affected, the organization said.
Gina Oxley, National Highways Duty Operations Manager for the region, said: “We have been on alert throughout the afternoon and continue to treat routes so we can reach the worst affected areas and support our customers on their journeys.
“For anyone considering travelling, our advice is not to do so unless absolutely necessary as the heavy snow is expected to continue until 9am. [on Monday]”
Airports were also affected, with both Gatwick and Stansted having to close their runways on Sunday to clear snow.
Essex Airport said in a statement: “The runway at London Stansted Airport is currently closed for snow clearance due to weather conditions and all flights are currently suspended.
“The flight delays experienced earlier were due to aircraft de-icing which is the ground handler’s responsibility and the safety of the aircraft and passengers is paramount. Passengers are advised to check with their airline for the current status of their flight.”
Gatwick posted on Twitter: “Sunday 11/Monday 12 December: Snow and cold weather may cause disruption at airport. Passengers are advised to check flight status – and also local travel status – with their airline before departing for the airport.”
National Rail said snow and ice caused major disruption across its South Eastern network on Sunday night and delays would continue into Monday, “especially in the morning”.
“To allow Network Rail to check that the rails are clear of ice and snow, which can prevent trains from drawing power from electric rails, the first trains in each direction on all routes will be cancelled,” it said.
“We also have many trains misplaced after last night’s disruption, which will cause further cancellations of services across the network.”
There was significant disruption to the delivery of newspapers including The Times and The Sun overnight, which may have spilled over into delivery delays in “many parts of the country”.
News UK said in a statement that severe weather in the south-east had affected its printers in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire.
“We apologize to retailers and customers who cannot get a copy of their usual newspaper. Newsprinters will make continuous efforts to deliver newspapers to retailers during Monday,” the statement said. “Please follow our websites and apps for news and more updates.”
Yellow warnings were in place from Sunday to Monday morning for north and south-west Scotland, Northern Ireland, north-east England, the Midlands and south-west, as well as London and the south-east.
Met Office meteorologist Rachel Ayers said: “Sunday will be a very cold day with highs of 1C to 4C and, as we move into the evening, we will see persistent rain, sleet or snow in the far south. -East of England, for which we have issued a yellow warning from 6pm on Sunday.
“We could see 2cm to 5cm (of snow), maybe up to 10cm in some places, with Kent and Sussex worst affected, with the most exposed areas such as the North and South Downs and higher ground seeing more significant accumulations.
“There will be snow formation, especially near the coast where there is rain and sleet, and freezing temperatures that could cause some travel disruptions that are expected until 9 a.m. Monday.”
Ayers said that although cooler temperatures, freezing fog and wintry showers are expected during the week, cloud cover could prevent some of the more extreme temperatures experienced in recent days.
She added that there was a possibility of milder conditions towards the end of next week but it was too early to be certain.
The AA advised motorists to adjust their driving to cooler conditions on Monday morning.
[ad_2]
Source link
