Certain regions in the UK are predicted to experience additional snow and ice, leading to potential disruptions in local travel on Monday.
The Met Office has released a cautionary notice for snow in northern Wales, the West Midlands, and northern England beginning at 6pm on Sunday and lasting until 12pm on Monday. A similar warning for snow and ice has also been issued for the central and eastern areas of Scotland until midday on Monday.
The Met Office has issued a warning of potential disruptions due to snow, which may impact roads and railways, resulting in longer travel times for road, bus, and train services. Additionally, some areas with lower elevation may experience rain mixed with snow on Sunday and possibly on Monday.
According to the Met Office, snow is expected to mainly affect the elevated areas of northern and central Wales and northern England. This could result in 2-5cm of snow on roads above 150m, and potentially 10-15cm on roads above 350m.
On Sunday morning, approximately 7,000 residences and establishments lost power due to heavy snowfall causing trees to fall and leaving hundreds of drivers stranded in Cumbria. However, by the evening, Electricity North West reported that only 1,500 were still without power.
The operator of the power network stated that gaining access remains a significant problem, and even specialized 4×4 vehicles are unable to reach all locations. In some areas, repairs must be carried out on foot due to lack of equipment.
On Saturday, some parts of the Lake District received up to 3ft of snow, resulting in drivers needing to be rescued from their vehicles. The area was bustling with day-trippers at the time.
According to Mike Margeson, a rescue professional who has been in the field for over 40 years, his team collaborated with law enforcement and firefighters to assist in extracting individuals from their vehicles during the night. He also noted that the rate of snowfall was exceptional and that he hasn’t witnessed such a significant amount of snow in a long time.
Numerous individuals sought shelter in temporary overnight facilities such as schools, community centers, and government buildings after leaving their cars in the midst of blizzard conditions. According to Karl Melville, the deputy director of highways for Cumberland council, some areas of the county received 2-3 feet of snow.
According to Melville, certain gritters belonging to the council were immobile for a period of three hours due to abandoned cars. He stated that they had to first dig in front of the gritters before they could begin plowing the road, highlighting the severity of the snow.
Hannah Smith and her family, along with her eight-year-old daughter and her friend, had to trek four miles through heavy snow after leaving their vehicle behind in an attempt to make it back to Kendal from Grasmere. What should have been a 30-minute trip turned into a nine-hour journey, according to Smith.
Smith expressed concern for the large number of vehicles they encountered on the route, with some deserted and others still containing people who were unable to move. Many of these individuals were at risk due to their age or family situation, and had been stranded in their cars for over eight hours. As the night progressed and temperatures dropped, Smith’s worries only grew.
According to Sally Parkyn, the town council clerk for Windermere and Bowness, approximately 25 individuals and two canines spent the night in Langstone House, the council’s chambers. One of the guests even slept on the mayor’s ceremonial throne.
She stated that we didn’t have much to offer them, only hot drinks, biscuits, and a warm room. We were able to get pillows for the four children, but it was a challenging situation. Despite the difficulties, everyone did their best. Some people may complain about lack of readiness, but the truth is we haven’t had this amount of snow in years and the gritters and ploughs were working tirelessly to clear the roads.
According to Parkyn, a family who had traveled from Singapore to see snow was among those stuck in the council chambers. They ended up experiencing far more than they had expected.
In preparation for a charity event, the residents of Grizebeck were organizing a craft fair and tractor run at the village hall. However, due to intense snowfall, they were forced to use the building as an emergency shelter for the night.
Yvonne Graham, the manager of Grizebeck community hall, commented that they had a light rain in the morning and initially thought it would be a pleasant addition to the craft fair. However, the weather turned out to be more severe than expected, with significant snowfall. Yvonne had to leave her car in the deep snow while in the village of Kirkby-in-Furness. She mentioned that they received no warning about the weather, and it may take a couple of days for things to return to normal.
According to Lee Thomas, a member of the committee for Grizebeck community hall, it took some drivers a total of four and a half hours to travel a 15-minute section of road by Saturday evening. As a result, many individuals eventually gave up and left their vehicles behind.
He stated that he had not witnessed such a high amount of snow in this area for approximately eight to nine years. The snowfall was continuous and heavy throughout the day, with no signs of stopping.
Source: theguardian.com
