Snow and ice set to batter North East as Met Office issues weather warnings

Two warnings have been issued for parts of the region as snow and ice are on the way. The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for snow and ice set to cause travel disruption from Thursday night through to Friday morning. It is predicted that frequent sleet, hail and snow showers will lead to disruption to train services and on the roads. The warning is in place from 8pm on Thursday, January 6 to 11am on Friday, January 7 with Northumberland and Durham mostly affected. People should expect that roads and railways are likely to be affected with longer journey times by road, bus and train services. Commuters are urged to be careful as some icy patches on untreated roads, cycle paths and pavements are also likely. A Met Office spokesman said: "Frequent wintry showers arriving from the west during Thursday evening and overnight are likely to lead to a fresh covering of snow for areas above 200m (mainly around 2-5 cm, possibly as much as 10 cm over the highest ground where showers are most frequent). "Falling snow below this level may cause some temporary slushy accumulations which then may freeze and cause dangerous, icy patches where skies remain clear for long enough. "Winds will be gusty around heavier showers and there is also a risk of lightning strikes from isolated thunderstorms in some coastal districts." A second yellow weather is also in place predicting snow causing travel disruption to higher routes. The Met Office states that some roads and railways likely to be affected with longer journey times by road, bus and train services. The second warning in place from 10am on Thursday, January 6 to 4pm the same day. The areas most affected are Durham and Northumberland. The Met Office added: "A band of rain will move eastwards across the UK during Thursday, with this likely to fall as snow for a time, particularly over hills. "Many places will see 1-2 hours of snow with a risk of temporary slushy accumulations above 100-150 m with snow leading to difficult travel conditions. "A longer period of snow is expected over higher ground with 2-5 cm likely above 200-300 m, and 10-15 cm above 400 m. Over higher routes, strong winds will lead to drifting and temporary blizzard conditions." Five day weather forecast for the North East Today A bright and frosty morning across the region. Feeling cold with a brisk northerly wind, very windy near the coast where there may also be some wintry showers. Maximum temperature 3 °C. Tonight Another clear and dry night. Winds becoming light and still feeling cold, with widespread frost and icy patches by dawn. Minimum temperature -3 °C. Thursday Frost slowly melting on Thursday morning as it becomes increasingly cloudy. Outbreaks of sleet and snow from midday, continuing into the early evening but gradually turning to rain. Windy overnight. Maximum temperature 4 °C. Outlook for Friday to Sunday Wintry showers on Friday in far west, mostly sunny elsewhere. Breezy. Band of rain, briefly turning to snow on Saturday. Bright and sunny on Sunday, mostly dry and turning milder. #Weather #Snow #Northeast