Weather warning upgraded to amber as snow and ice set to sweep across Lancashire this weekend

A significant snowstorm is expected to affect much of Lancashire over the weekend, with up to 7cm of snow in lower-lying areas.

Higher ground above 150m may see up to 30cm of snow, with 40cm possible for areas above 300m.

An amber weather warning will be in place from 9pm on Saturday until 11.59pm on Sunday.

Although Blackpool, Thornton, Poulton-le-Fylde, St Annes and Lytham are not covered by the amber warning, they will still be impacted by yellow warnings for snow and ice.

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The first yellow weather warning for ice will be in place from 4pm today until 10am tomorrow.

A second warning for snow and ice will also come into force at midnight tonight and will be in place until 11.59pm on Sunday.

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Met Office Chief Forecaster Jason Kelly, said: “This weekend will bring a range of weather hazards to the UK, notable snow accumulations, freezing rain, ice and heavy rain as well as some gusty conditions.

“We have issued a number of severe weather warnings, including amber warnings for snow and ice in parts of England and Wales.

Some significant accumulations of snow are possible across parts of Wales, the Midlands and northern England in particular, where 5cm or more could accumulate fairly widely, with as much as 20-30 cm over high ground of mid and north Wales and potentially 30-40 cm over parts of the Pennines.

“This, accompanied by strengthening winds, may lead to drifting of lying snow.”

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Meanwhile, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued cold-health alerts for all of England ahead of a week of low temperatures.

The alerts - which will end on January 8 - means there is a risk of a rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions.

What should I expect?

• Some rural communities cut off
• Power cuts and other services, such as mobile phone coverage, affected
• Delays and cancellations to rail and air travel is expected
• Travel delays on roads, stranding some vehicles and passengers
• A small chance of injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces
• Icy patches on some untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths