Yellow weather alert for snow and rain

The Met Office has issued a weather alert for snow and rain for the North East today (Monday) and warns of possible travel disruptions and flooding.

The yellow warning has been issued for between the hours of 2am and 3pm.

Snow and flooding is to be expected which may cause the travel problems.

The Met Office said: “A band of rain reaching southern parts of northern England during Sunday night quickly turns to snow before spreading north-eastwards across the rest of the warning area.

“Across northern England, snow will then turn to rain from the south and west through the course of the morning before slowly turning to rain at lower levels over the part of the warning area in Scotland.

“A brief spell of freezing rain is possible as snow begins to turn to rain, leading to icy stretches.

“Meanwhile, given saturated ground and recent flooding, the combination of snow melt and rain may also bring about some disruption, mainly over parts of northern England.” The public are advised to stay away from swollen rivers and not to walk or drive through flood water.

There could be travel delays on roads, vehicles may become stranded and delays or cancellations to rail or air travel are possible. Power cuts may also occur.

The warning is also extended to safety on the roads, where spray and flooding may lead to difficult driving conditions and road closures.

Rural communities may become cut off by flood water.