WEATHER warnings for snow, sleet and icy conditions have been issued by the Met Office for much of the UK.

The warning extends across much of Scotland, northern England and Northern Ireland, with the north Midlands and north Wales expected to see wintry showers later tonight.

Snow, sleet and hail

The snow and ice warning has been issued by the Met Office across northerly parts of the UK today, while a snow alert is in place for the Midlands, south of England and Wales.

Sleet, snow and wintry showers are forecast this morning, with icy patches likely to develop, possibly resulting in some travel disruption.

The Met Office said, “The warning has been extended east across much of southern Scotland and north east England as showers overnight have left surfaces wet with icy stretches likely here.

“Wintry showers are expected to continue through Wednesday night into Thursday morning, especially over Northern Ireland and western Scotland, before developing more widely across parts of northern England, the north Midlands and north Wales later in the night.

“This will leave surfaces wet, leading to icy stretches developing on untreated surfaces.

“Showers will fall as a mixture of hail, sleet and snow. Some places are likely to see 1-3 cm of snow, mainly above 100 m, with 5-10 cm possible above 400 m.”

What areas are affected by the snow and ice warning?

The following regions are affected by today’s yellow alert of snow and ice:

Central, Tayside and Fife

Perth and Kinross
Stirling

East Midlands

Derby
Derbyshire
Leicestershire
Lincolnshire
Nottingham
Nottinghamshire

Highlands and Eilean Siar

Na h-Eileanan Siar
Highland

North East England

Darlington
Durham
Gateshead
Hartlepool
Middlesbrough
Newcastle upon Tyne
North Tyneside
Northumberland
Redcar and Cleveland
South Tyneside
Stockton-on-Tees
Sunderland

North West England

Blackburn with Darwen
Cheshire East
Cheshire West and Chester
Cumbria
Greater Manchester
Halton
Lancashire
Merseyside
Warrington

Northern Ireland

County Antrim
County Armagh
County Down
County Fermanagh
County Londonderry
County Tyrone

Orkney and Shetland

Orkney Islands
Shetland Islands

Sout West Scotland, Lothian Borders

Dumfries and Galloway
Midlothian Council
Scottish Borders
West Lothian

Strathclyde

Argyll and Bute
East Ayrshire
East Dunbartonshire
East Renfrewshire
Glasgow
Inverclyde
North Ayrshire
North Lanarkshire
Renfrewshire
South Ayrshire
South Lanarkshire
West Dunbartonshire

Wales

Conwy
Denbighshire
Flintshire
Gwynedd
Powys
Wrexham

West Midlands

Shropshire
Staffordshire
Stoke-on-Trent
Telford and Wrekin
West Midlands Conurbation

Yorkshire and Humber

East Riding of Yorkshire
Kingston upon Hull
North East Lincolnshire
North Lincolnshire
North Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
York

These regions are affected by the yellow weather warning for snow:

East Midlands

Derbyshire
Leicester
Leicestershire
Lincolnshire
Northamptonshire
Rutland

East of England

Bedford
Cambridgeshire
Central Bedfordshire
Essex
Hertfordshire
Luton
Norfolk
Peterborough
Suffolk

London and South East England

Buckinghamshire
Milton Keynes
Oxfordshire
West Berkshire

South West England

Gloucestershire
Swindon
Wiltshire

Wales

Blaenau Gwent
Bridgend
Caerphilly
Carmarthenshire
Merthyr Tydfil
Monmouthshire
Neath Port Talbot
Powys
Rhondda Cynon Taf
Torfaen

West Midlands

Herefordshire
Shropshire
Staffordshire
Warwickshire
West Midlands Conurbation
Worcestershire

The long range forecast

The forecast for the UK today is mostly wet, with rain, sleet and snow clearing as we head into the afternoon, giving way to some sunny spells interspersed with wintry showers.

Showers will be heaviest and most frequent in the north west, and driest in the south and east following early rain, but temperatures will remain cold.

This evening will be cold and frosty for many, particularly in eastern parts, with showers continuing for north west Scotland, and snow levels rising. The west will see some clouding, followed by bouts of rain.

Rainy conditions will continue into Friday (28 Feb), moving across the UK with strengthening winds and some hill snow may develop in the west, and possibly some at lower levels for north east England and southern Scotland.

The weekend will see some rain showers and it will be windy, with strong gales at time. Sunshine and showers are expected on Monday (2 Mar), and temperatures will remain cold.