Heavy snow: ‘Do not Travel’ warning in UK

The Met Department of the UK has issued ‘do not travel’ warnings as heavy snow storms hits different parts of the country. Drivers in Scotland and Northern England had been urged not to travel, as snow storms hit parts of the UK for a third day.

“Snow showers will be heaviest and most frequent across western Scotland where a further 10-20 cm is likely to build up above 200-300 m with 30 cm possible over the very highest routes. The high ground of Northern Ireland and Northern England will also see 10-15 cm building up,” says the official statement. At low levels, parts of the warning area will see 3-7 cm of snow but some places near the west coast will see very little.

Railway tracks at New Cumnock, Scotland. Picture Courtesy: Network Rail Scotland

Showers will be accompanied by hail and lightning at times, particularly across Western Scotland. “Here, in particular, there is potential for disruption to power supplies from lightning strikes. Winds will strengthen at times, particularly from later Thursday, bringing the potential for temporary blizzard conditions and drifting on hills and mountains,” alerts the authorities.

The warnings also cover Central Scotland, Tayside, Fife, Lothian and Borders and Strathclyde. The ‘do not travel’ warning issues on Wednesday is believed to have been the first such warning since the high winds of January 2013.