The Met Office has put in place a yellow weather warning for snow that will be active from 12pm on Saturday, January 4 until 9am on Monday, January 6.
The warning advises that there is a small chance that power cuts will occur and other services, such as mobile phone coverage, may be affected
There is a slight chance that some rural communities could become cut off, and possibly some travel delays on roads with some stranded vehicles and passengers, along with delayed or cancelled rail and air travel.
The following areas of South Wales are affected, including all five local authorities in Gwent:
- Blaenau Gwent
- Bridgend
- Caerphilly
- Cardiff
- Carmarthenshire
- Ceredigion
- Conwy
- Denbighshire
- Flintshire
- Gwynedd
- Isle of Anglesey
- Merthyr Tydfil
- Monmouthshire
- Neath Port Talbot
- Newport
- Pembrokeshire
- Powys
- Rhondda Cynon Taf
- Swansea
- Torfaen
- Vale of Glamorgan
- Wrexham
The Met Office has said: “Outbreaks of rain spreading northeastwards later on Saturday and overnight into Sunday will likely be preceded by a spell of snow on its northern flank.
“Whilst there is a fair bit of uncertainty as to how far north this may spread, and how long any snow will last, significant accumulations of snow are possible, especially (but not exclusively) on hills.
“Currently, parts of the Midlands, Wales and northern England are most at risk of disruption, where 5cm or more could accumulate fairly widely, with perhaps as much as 20-30 cm over high ground of Wales and/or the Pennines. This, accompanied by strengthening winds, may lead to drifting of lying snow.
“In addition, as milder air attempts to move northwards into southern and central areas, snow may turn to a spell of freezing rain for a time, adding to the risk of ice. If milder air is able to spread more bodily northwards, any snow in southern parts of the warning area may be relatively short-lived before turning to rain.
“Given the uncertainties, it is quite likely this warning area and start/end times will be refined over the coming days as confidence increases in areas most likely to be impacted.”
People are advised to ensure they stay safe and prepared for such weather warnings, including planning journey times and routes, and ensuring they have essentials in the car if a journey is necessary.
The Met Office has also advised people ensure they have battery powered torches or similar available as power cuts are a possibility.
These yellow weather warnings are expected to have a “medium impact” according to the Met Office, and follow other warnings of wind and rain issued earlier this week.
