An ice warning is in force for much of the UK as temperatures have dropped, after a major incident was declared due to flooding.
The yellow Met Office warning indicates there could be some difficult travel conditions across Scotland, Northern Ireland and north Wales, and stretching down to the Midlands, until 10am on Thursday.
A snow and ice warning is also in place covering northern Scotland until 10am, as rain turning to snow was likely to lead to some travel disruption and difficult driving conditions, the Met Office said.
For those who intend to travel despite the wintry weather, the Met Office and National Rail issued reminders to plan ahead. Difficult driving conditions should be expected, particularly in areas under a yellow weather warning. Allowing extra time is advised, with delays, diversions or hampered conditions likely for road users.
Passengers on public transport are advised to check any timetables and services before setting out in case of delays or cancellations.
National Rail said the poor weather would have an impact on trains running across Great Britain, with Northern, TransPennine Express, Transport for Wales and ScotRail services all affected.
Two new flood alerts were issued just before 6am on Thursday, with water levels peaking for the Lower River Wharfe system in Yorkshire and the Lower River Ure waterway in North Yorkshire. Both river systems and surrounding tributaries were at risk of flooding.
Areas most at risk within the Lower River Ure system include low-lying land such as agricultural land and roads in the areas around Masham, Boroughbridge, Aldborough and Bishop Monkton. For Lower River Wharfe, areas at risk of flooding span from Otley to upstream of Ulleskelf, including Tadcaster.
No further significant rainfall is expected in the area on Thursday and water levels are expected to begin falling in the coming hours. People are advised to avoid using low-lying footpaths or any bridges near watercourses, and not to attempt to walk, drive or cycle through flood waters.
A major incident was declared in Greater Manchester on Wednesday after flooding led to homes being evacuated and train lines and roads closed after heavy rain.
Greater Manchester police said the major incident had been declared as mountain rescue teams were deployed to help the Greater Manchester fire and rescue service deal with damaged properties and stranded vehicles. The force said the affected areas still under monitoring were Didsbury, Stockport, Trafford and Wigan.
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About 450 people were evacuated from a Didsbury hotel on Wednesday evening, while 400 homes were at a lower risk with no widespread evacuation needed, police said. Residents were evacuated from a block of flats in Meadow Mill, Stockport.
The north-west of England and Wales had heavy rain on Wednesday, with Marsden recording 101.2mm – more than West Yorkshire’s January monthly average rainfall of 85.1mm – and Capel Curig in Wales measuring 101.2mm.
In Bristol, the severe weather emergency protocol has been activated by the city council and the homelessness charity St Mungo’s, which will run until 8 January. There will be increased outreach shifts and more accommodation made available, with the aim of ensuring nobody has to sleep on the streets during such extreme weather conditions.
Marco Petagna, a senior Met Office meteorologist, said: “Most roads will be treated, there’s a chance on untreated roads that ice will still be an issue. On Friday I think we will see further snow and ice warnings issued.”
A three-day yellow warning for snow has been issued for almost all of England and Wales and parts of Scotland this weekend and the Met Office said rural communities could become cut off. Schools could be closed and there is a chance of power cuts and road closures as well as delays and cancellations to flights and trains, the forecaster said.
A yellow warning is in place from noon on Saturday until 9am on Monday and covers all regions of England other than the south-west, the majority of Wales, and parts of southern Scotland.
About 5cm of snow is expected widely across the Midlands, Wales and northern England, with as much as 20-30cm over high ground in Wales and/or the Pennines, the forecaster added.
