“The return of the Beast from the East” – that’s one warning about latest bout of extreme winter weather to hit the UK, which says the predicted snow, ice and rain could be as bad as the February 2018 storm.
The Met Office has issued yellow and amber weather warnings for snow and ice today, covering most of the UK from the Midlands northwards. A separate yellow weather warning for wind and rain rain is in force for all of southern England and southeast Wales from the M4 corridor southwards.
James Madden of Exacta Weather warns that the Midlands will be first to experience heavy snow, followed by northern England.
Travellers by rail, air and ferry are being warned about possible disruption due to the latest bout of severe weather, while the AA is warning drivers to exercise “extreme caution”.
These are the key areas of disruption.
Rail
Network Rail warns: “Snow, ice and heavy rain are forecast across large parts of Britain on Thursday and Friday.”
In Hampshire, a tree is blocking the main line connecting Southampton with Portsmouth and Brighton. Passengers are warned: “Trains running between Fareham and Southampton Central may be cancelled, delayed by up to 30 minutes or revised.
Southern, which runs trains along the south coast, warns: “High winds and heavy rain are expected across some coastal routes”Wind speeds are forecast to reach 55mph.
Later on Thursday, LNER will curtail the evening trains from London that would normally run to Harrogate, Skipton and Bradford. They will all end their journeys at Leeds, with alternative transport currently being sourced.
Northern says: “We may need to adjust the service throughout the day so please check before you travel.”
Greater Anglia is experiencing serious problems between Norwich and Ely, which is also affecting East Midlands Railway.
Train operators say weather disruption could continue until late evening on Friday 9 February.
Air
Europe’s biggest budget airline, Ryanair, is warning of “potential disruptions to/from the UK due to snow and ice”.
The carrier says: “We regret any inconvenience caused to passengers by these weather conditions, which are outside of our control and affect all airlines operating to/from the UK.”
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