BRITS have been warned of travel chaos and disruption as UK set to be hit with snow and ice.
The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning covering parts of the UK today.
2A yellow weather warning for snow and ice is in place today until 9amCredit: Northpix
2The warning covers areas of the Scottish HighlandsCredit: MetOfficeThe alert is in place for those in the Scottish Highlands, especially Inverness, Fort William, and Aviemore.
Those affected have been warned to expect icy roads and surfaces which could lead to injury.
Certain roads and railways are also set to be hit with traffic chaos as journey times and services are likely to be delayed.
It is advised by the Met Office to avoid untreated roads and cycle paths.
The warning is in place until 9am this morning.
This comes as Brits were hit by travel disruption over the last couple of days due to more snow, ice and fog warnings as temperatures plummeted to -4C.
More than a dozen flights at London City Airport were called off on Wednesday including Three British Airways flights heading to Dusseldorf, Rotterdam and Florence.
This morning, light rain and drizzle will fall through the morning across the country but clear up as the day goes on.
Meteorologists forecast a mostly dry day with sunny spells for central and southern areas.
But the northwest and north will continue to experience “frequent and wintry” weather.
Temperatures across the UK will range from around 4C to 8C, with highs of 10C in the south west by midday.
They will continue to stay mild until the evening.
The Met Office website stated tonight will be: “Fine and dry in the south with a widespread sharp frost.
“Some showers in the far north, then clouding over with occasional rain in the northwest and north.”
Friday is set to remain dry and bright for most central and eastern areas but those in the far north and west could see some light rain with cloud cover throughout the day.
The weekend is predicted to bring better weather for all, as fog clears and strong winds in the north ease up.
But icy conditions may well continue into the month, with the Met Office warning of an imminent “sudden stratospheric warming” (SSW).
The forecaster’s website states: “The latest forecasts are showing that a major SSW is now likely to take place.
“The recent minor SSW weakened the SPV and it’s now likely to collapse and reverse in the middle of February.”
An SSW refers to a sudden warming up in the stratosphere, the area found between six and 30 miles above the earth’s surface.
It is so high up that we do not feel it, but it has a knock-on effect to the jet stream – which affects weather down below.
The Met Office has said there is an 80 per cent chance of a major SSW occurring, and this will likely impact our weather at the end of February or the start of March.
However while this could bring snow and ice again, it is not guaranteed to.
The Met Office added: “However, not all SSWs lead to cold weather and widespread snow for the UK, for example, the SSW in February 2018 led to the ‘beast from the east’ whereas the SSW in January 2019 had no significant impact for the UK weather, in fact, it stayed mild for the rest of the winter.”
Prof Adam Scaife, head of long-range forecasting at the Met Office, said: “There is now over 80% chance of a major SSW occurring.
“Although the impact will become clearer nearer the time, any effect on UK weather is most likely to occur in late February and March.”
Story Credit: thesun.co.uk