Sprinkling of snow for a few
PARTS of the borough woke up to small amount of snow as freezing conditions hit the region again on Thursday.
Rochdale saw a light dusting fall overnight as snow hit the region for the first time this season.
It comes amid a freezing snap that has hit the UK with temperatures dropping to as low as -7.2C in parts of the country.
The Met Office warned wintry showers would hit some of the North West of England, with a yellow weather warning for snow and ice in place from 5pm on Wednesday to 11am on Thursday.
The warning, which covers eastern parts of Cumbria and sections of West Yorkshire alongside vast swathes of Scotland and the North East of England, says: “Wintry showers will continue to affect northern and eastern parts of Scotland and England overnight and into Thursday morning.
“These showers are likely to fall onto frozen surfaces allowing icy patches to form.
“Additionally, showers will fall as snow inland, with up to 2cm possible in places, perhaps as much as 5cm over high ground.”
In The weekend is set to be clear but again with cold conditions, with highs of 2C on Saturday and 4C on Sunday.
Road users are being warned of icy conditions, as the national weather service has advised of the likelihood of people suffering slips and fall injuries in one of the first icy periods of the winter.
The Met Office is also advising of the chance of disruption to road, bus and rail networks - with ice patches forming on untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths.
Motoring organisation the RAC urged drivers to “ensure they’re winter ready as some get their first real taste of snow and ice”.
Met Office chief meteorologist Neil Armstrong said on Wednesday: “We’ve already seen snow settling in parts of eastern Scotland and north-eastern England.
“As the cold air continues to spread across the UK, we also expect to see some snow over the high ground of south-west England overnight and through tomorrow.
“Snow showers will continue along the North Sea coast with a northeasterly air flow, leading to further accumulations over higher ground.
“Where the showers fall as rain, there is a risk of icy patches forming overnight with temperatures widely dipping below freezing.”
The forecaster said the three lowest temperatures recorded at its observation sites overnight were all in Cumbria on Wednesday, with a low of minus
7.2C in Bridgefoot, minus
6.5C in Shap and minus
6.1C in Keswick.
The BBC reported that parts of the UK had their coldest November night since 2010, and that it was minus 8C at Aonach Mor in the Scottish Highlands.
Met Office spokeswoman Nicola Maxey said on Wednesday it had already recorded snow in eastern Scotland, Northumberland and Yorkshire - with about 2cm of snow in some eastern coast areas and 5cm at Fylingdales on the North York Moors.
The UK is being hit by a blast of cold air from Scandinavia, causing a cold snap for many in the North.
Daytime temperatures are expected to drop to single-digit figures this week and night temperatures are expected to stay below freezing for large parts of England and Scotland. Ladbrokes’ latest betting odds for snow to fall anywhere in the UK on Christmas Day are 1/2, and it says Edinburgh and Newcastle are the “most likely destinations to see snow”.
But the Met Office urged people to take a prediction this far in advance with a “pinch of salt”.
Ms Maxey added: “Christmas is still a month away, so it is impossible with this lead time to have any confidence in a detailed forecast.”
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued warnings of its own, with yellow and amber cold-health alerts for northern regions of England until December 5.
Road users are being warned of icy conditions