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Snow and ice amber warning for most of Wales

Keren Price Vehicles are covered in snow in Ebbw Vale as night falls. There is a layer of snow covering the road too meanwhile branches from a tree can be seen on the left side of the image .Keren Price
Snow and freezing rain will likely lead to disruption to transport and some other services, said the Met Office

An amber weather warning for snow and ice for most of Wales has been issued for this weekend by the Met Office.

It is the second highest level of warning and is in effect from 18:00 GMT on Saturday until midday on Sunday, with warnings of travel disruption.

All counties are affected by the warning apart from Anglesey.

There is also a yellow snow and ice warning for the whole of Wales from midday on Saturday until the end of Sunday.

Parts of Wales also have a yellow rain warning in place from 06:00 on Sunday until 21:00, with heavy rain and thawing snow potentially leading to flooding in some places.

The Met Office warns that:

  • Power cuts may occur, which could affect other services, such as mobile phone coverage
  • Travel delays on roads are likely, stranding some vehicles and passengers
  • Some road closures and longer journey times possible
  • Some delays and cancellations to bus, rail and air travel are likely
  • Rural communities could become cut off
  • Untreated pavements and cycle paths likely to be impassable
Meteorologist Sabrina Lee explains what we can expect this weekend

Cardiff council urged drivers to be careful because of the "big freeze" and said it would be using up to 60 tonnes of grit each night to keep the city moving.

The roads that are being prioritised are all A roads and priority bus routes, the majority of B roads, some C roads and other non-classified roads

It said there were also 400 salt bins across the city for residents to use.

What might happen after snow in Wales?

Met Office Amber snow and ice weather warning covering: Blaenau Gwent Bridgend Caerphilly Cardiff Carmarthenshire Ceredigion Conwy Denbighshire Flintshire Gwynedd Merthyr Tydfil Monmouthshire Neath Port Talbot Newport Pembrokeshire Powys Rhondda Cynon Taf Swansea Torfaen Vale of Glamorgan WrexhamMet Office
The Met Office said 3-7 cm of snow was likely for much of the warning area, with 15-30 cm on higher ground

Welsh Water said it was distributing free winter lagging kits - insulation and a tap jacket - to prevent pipes freezing and bursting.

The company also suggested residents find their stop tap in case pipes burst so the water can be turned off to minimise damage.

It also said clearing gutters can prevent excess water entering homes, and fixing dripping taps can decrease the risk of frozen pipes.

Empty buildings are at particular risk, it said, and suggested stopping the tap and draining the system so there is no water to freeze.

Natural Resources Wales said it has closed its visitor centres at Coed y Brenin, Bwlch Nant Yr Arian and Ynyslas on Saturday and Sunday as a result of the weather.

Public Health Wales has issued cold weather advice and guidance ahead of the weekend weather warnings on its social media channels.

Llio Jones, from Age Cymru, encouraged neighbours to keep an eye on the elderly.

A gritting lorry being filled at Ceredigion council's depot in Aberystwyth.
Gritting lorries will be out across Wales making the roads safe