Amber weather warning for snow covering parts of Lancashire issued by Met Office as county braces for power cuts and traffic disruption

Heavy snowfall is expected to hit parts of Lancashire this week, with 2-5cm predicted to fall quite widely.

A yellow weather warning for snow which covers most of Lancashire – including Preston, Kirkham, Chorley and Lancaster – was subsequently issued by the Met Office.

Parts of the warning have also been upgraded to amber, with Burnley and Bacup expected to see up to 20cm of snow.

Some places covered by the amber warning could also see up to 40cm of snow.

When is the amber warning in place?

The amber warning for snow will be in place from 3pm on Thursday (March 9) until midday on Friday (March 10).

When is the yellow weather warning in place?

The yellow warning for snow will be in place from 7am on Thursday (March 9) until 2pm on Friday (March 10).

What should I prepare for?

The Met Office says we should expect:

- Possible travel delays on roads stranding some vehicles and passengers

- Possible delays or cancellations to rail and air travel

- Some rural communities could become cut off

- Power cuts may occur and other services, such as mobile phone coverage, may be affected

What has the Met Office said?

Met Office Chief Meteorologist, Matthew Lehnert, said: “The boundary between milder and colder air will slowly move north through Wednesday and overnight, moving the chances of snow further north with it.

“Snow will have settled quite widely in central parts of the UK as we move into Thursday morning leaving tricky conditions for the morning travel period.

“It will be another very cold night, especially under clear skies in Scotland where temperatures could get down to -15°C again tonight.

“An Amber warning for snow has been issued for the high ground running north in the centre of northern England as snow redevelops through the course of Thursday and persist until early Friday.

“Here we could see up to 40cm of snow accompanied by strong winds causing blizzard conditions.”

Whilst the focus for the heaviest and most impactful snow looks to be focused over the Pennines, a broader yellow warning for snow covers north Wales, northern and central England, Northern Ireland and southern Scotland.

Matthew continued: “Within this large warning area, snow accumulations are less certain.

“At low levels, accumulations are expected to be more patchy with 2-5 cm in places.

“However, higher ground of Scotland, north Wales and Northern Ireland could see 10-20cm.”

Should I continue with my travel plans?

Lancashire County Council is urging people to carefully consider their travel plans as their gritting teams gear up to deal with the late winter icy blast.

County Coun Rupert Swarbrick, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, said: “We’re as well prepared as we can be to keep Lancashire’s roads moving as we’re hit by this wintry weather over the next couple of days, however conditions could be difficult at times particularly on Thursday morning as the snow and ice could affect people's morning journeys.

“We’ll be gritting the main routes which make up around a third of the approximately 4,300 miles of roads in Lancashire, and our focus has to be to keep these roads moving.

“No council has the resources to grit and clear snow on every road.

"Our highways teams will be doing their best to keep the main routes passable, but there is a limit to the effect that gritting the roads with salt will have if we get some periods of heavier snow.

“The salt helps to prevent moisture on the road from freezing but it won't make snow and ice instantly disappear.

“Any snow should not last long as the forecast is for it to turn to sleet and ice throughout Thursday, but I would ask people to look at the conditions and the forecast and consider whether their journey is necessary.”