The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning across Durham towards the end of the week for snow and ice.

Most of the city will be affected on Thursday (March 9) and Friday (March 10)

Heavy snow is likely to cause significant disruption on Thursday afternoon from 3 pm until Friday morning.

It follows on from a yellow weather warning announced earlier this week.

What does the Met Office say?

According to the Met Office, the following issues could take place:

  • Travel delays on roads, stranding some vehicles and passengers
  • Some delays and cancellations to rail and air travel are likely
  • There is a good chance that some rural communities could become cut off
  • Power cuts are likely and other services, such as mobile phone coverage, may be affected

Why is there an amber weather warning for Durham?

Snow is expected to develop over northern England on Thursday morning, becoming persistent through the afternoon and overnight into early Friday morning before slowly easing.

Residual impacts from snowfall are expected to persist through Friday morning.

Around 10-20cm of snow is expected to fall quite widely, with some places seeing 30-40cm.

Strong easterly winds are expected to accompany this snow, leading to blizzards and drifting of lying snow.

What should I do?

You can keep up to date with the latest weather updates on the Met Office website where you can find out about travelling in the snow, advice on how to stay safe and how to clear your pathway properly.