UK weather: Amber weather alert put in force as heavy snow falls in Northern England

An amber warning for snow in parts of Northern England was issued by the Met Office in the early hours of Tuesday as heavy snowfall covered much of the area.

The amber alert was upgraded from a yellow alert at 3 am, with it set to last until 1pm on Tuesday.  

The Met Office has warned that parts of Northern England, including Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, Derbyshire, Lancashire and Blackburn with Darwen should brace themselves for delays and cancellations to rail and air travel, for rural communities being cut off, and to the disruption of powerlines.  

Forecasters have also warned that motorists run the risk of being stranded should they brave the snowy conditions.

Other parts of Northern England, as well as Scotland and Northern Ireland, are under a yellow warning for snow, ice, and rain. 

Temperatures in these areas will be staying close to zero for the day, whilst the Midlands and South of England will be seeing temperatures in the double digits alongside sunny spells.  

There are currently 53 flood warnings from the Environment Agency in place across England, with a further 154 flood alerts.

Natural Resources Wales has issued three flood alerts, one for the Carmarthenshire coast, one for Upper Severn in Powys and another for south Pembrokeshire.

Jason Kelly, Met Office deputy chief meteorologist, said: "While the south of the UK hangs on to the milder air for much of this week as we approach the weekend, the area of low pressure responsible for the snow across the north of the UK will clear, allowing colder air to push south and west across much of the country.

"Further snow is expected for most parts of Scotland on Friday, while Saturday will be cold for all."