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12-11-2022, 04:01 PM
It's News Time Folks
Further travel disruption is expected this week with temperatures forecast to stay well below freezing overnight, and up to 10cm of snow forecast in the south-east of England.Met Office yellow warnings were in place from Sunday until Monday morning for northern and south-western Scotland, Northern Ireland, north-eastern England, the Midlands and south-west as well as London and the south-east.
Rail travellers in the south-west of England were told to expect delays, revisions and cancellations on Monday, after train operator South Western cancelled numerous services on Sunday because of icy conditions.
In Kent, the line between Dover and Minster via Deal was closed on Sunday after ice prevented trains getting electricity from the conductor rail, which powers locomotives. The same problem caused major disruption on the line from Lewes and Seaford to Eastbourne and Hastings in Sussex, the operator, Southern, said.
Residents in Cornwall were being advised not to travel on Sunday or Monday because of the treacherous weather. The Cornwall fire and rescue service control centre dealt with more than 300 reports of road traffic accidents linked to ice over the weekend and the county council’s highways contractor was working around the clock to salt major routes.
With temperatures in the county expected to plummet to -7C overnight on Sunday, residents were being asked to avoid travel unless essential and parents and carers were warned that schools could be closed.
At least 30 flights from Heathrow were cancelled on Sunday morning as freezing fog blanketed London – with snow and ice likely to cause further problems for Monday rush-hour travellers.
Snow in Sheffield brought further misery to hundreds of people in the Stannington area, who have been without gas since 2 December after water flooded into gas pipes.
Heavy snow in the Midlands caused sporting and festive events to be cancelled, including the Victorian Christmas market in Stratford-upon-Avon. Emergency services were called to Solihull, where police said a number of people were believed to be in a critical condition after being pulled from a lake in the freezing temperatures.
The Met Office warned that the cold weather was set to continue.
Meteorologist Rachel Ayers said: “We could see 2cm to 5cm (of snow), perhaps up to 10cm in some places, with Kent and Sussex most affected, with areas most exposed such as North and South Downs and higher ground going to see the more significant accumulations.
“There will be ice forming, particularly near to the coast where there is rain and sleet and freezing temperatures, which could cause some travel disruption to start Monday with that valid until 9am.”
Ayers said that although cold temperatures, freezing fog and wintry showers were expected through the week, cloud cover could prevent some of the more extreme temperatures experienced in recent days.
She added that there was a possibility of slightly milder conditions arriving next weekend but it was too early to be certain.
The severe conditions caused travel disruption on Saturday, with Manchester airport temporarily closing both runways because of heavy snow.
The Met Office said the conditions could lead to more travel issues, especially on Monday morning, and a small chance of some rural communities becoming cut off along with a possibility of power cuts and mobile phone coverage being affected.
(source: The Guardian)
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