Yellow weather warning for snow and ice extended to South East

Weather warnings have been issued in parts of south-east England as the cold snap across the UK continues.

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for snow and ice from midnight to 10am on Friday along the coast of Suffolk and a large part of Kent.

It is in addition to a yellow warning for snow and ice for eastern Scotland, the North East of England and parts of the East Midlands in place from 9pm on Thursday until 10am on Friday.

A yellow warning, the lowest on the Met Office’s scale, means there is a “risk of disruption” from the conditions forecast.

The Met Office said roads and railways in the South East are “likely to be affected, with longer journey times by road, bus and train services”.

It also warns of the potential for “some injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces”, and “probably some icy patches on some untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths”.

Temperatures are predicted to plummet on Friday and over the weekend following last week’s sunshine and highs of 20C.

They will reach highs of 7C and 8C across the UK on Friday and Saturday, increasing to 9C and 10C on Sunday.

Sunny spells with some cloud are predicted for the rest of England, Scotland and Wales, with a largely cloudy day all round on Sunday.

Meteorologist Matty Box said there is a “cold air mass” over the UK.

“There is an ice warning out at the moment,” he said. “If there’s any melting and refreezing overnight then there’s an ice risk.

“I suspect there will be a similar risk for Thursday night to Friday morning.”

Discussing Friday’s weather, he added: “It will be concentrated and there will be snow showers.

“It will be eastern and northern areas of the UK that are more likely to see any showers of rain, sleet or snow.”

The weather will then improve over the weekend, with some sunny spells.

“Showers will become less frequent, but still with the chance of some wintry showers in the east coast and the North Sea coast in particular through Saturday,” Mr Box said.

“There should be a fair amount of sunshine as well.”

In Canterbury, Kent, snow saw a county cricket warm-up match between Lancashire and Kent to be suspended and then cancelled on Thursday.