Heavy snow warning for east Wales and central England

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An early warning of heavy snow during Tuesday and Wednesday in parts of Wales and central England has been issued.


The Met Office said Shropshire and Herefordshire may be affected, while high ground in eastern Wales could see snowfall above 25cm (9.8ins).

Transport and power supplies are likely to face disruption, it added.

Liverpool's John Lennon Airport has been hit by freezing fog, with some inbound flights diverted to East Midlands and Doncaster airports.

Visibility on the runway is down to just 300m (984ft) and an outbound flight to Gdansk has been cancelled, with the possibility of further cancellations.

'Blizzard conditions'

According to the Met Office, 10-15cm (3.9-5.9ins) of snow is likely in the affected areas of Wales and central England.

Forecasters expect sleet and snow to spread from the south during Tuesday, persisting well into Wednesday.

The Met Office warning said: "The snow will be heavy at times with drifting likely in strong easterly winds, leading to blizzard conditions over hills."

The Welsh assembly Government said contingency plans were ready to keep main roads open and that its stock of salt for motorways was available as a reserve for councils.

Passengers planning to travel from Cardiff Airport have been advised to check whether flights are running on schedule.

The BBC's Weather Centre predicts that other parts of Wales, central and southern England could also see snow at times, but this will be mixed in with spells of sleet and rain.

England's most southerly counties are likely to experience heavy rain, BBC Weather forecasts.

It anticipates that northern England, Scotland and Northern Ireland are likely to stay predominantly dry and cold, but even here there could be a few isolated snow showers.