Officials have been forced to close parts of the M62 this morning after snowfall in the area, as the country is under several yellow weather warnings from the Met Office
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UK weather: Met Office share likelihood of a white Christmas
Brits hoping to drive home for Christmas have been hampered after the closure of a major motorway due to snow this morning.
The conditions on the M62, between Huddersfield and Saddleworth, means authorities have had to take action for the safety of drivers. Travel cameras in the area show the closure of a lane in the area, reported YorkshireLive.
One motorist tweeted: “Sketchy drive to Manchester Airport this morning. Strong winds, snow, hail, rain, motorway’s like an ice rink. Careful if you’re out and about.”
Warnings remain in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and in England the warnings cover the North East, North West, South West and West Midlands as well as Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Hampshire.
It comes as the AA says 21.3 million drivers will hit the nation’s roads today, warning the sheer number of cars and poor weather forecast could create the “perfect storm”. A spokesperson said “if the congestion wasn’t enough of a headache, the inclement weather could create the perfect storm”.
“We advise those heading out to allow extra time to travel and increase the distance between themselves and other road users.”
It predicted congestion hotspots will be on both directions of the M1 to Gatwick via the M25 and the M23, Liverpool to Chester on the M53, Oxford to the south coast via the A34 and the M3, the M25 to the south coast along the M3 and at the Taunton to Almondsbury Interchange in Bristol heading down the M5.
Millions of Brits are set for a Sunday washout as huge parts of the country are covered by weather warnings today. The Met Office has issued yellow warnings for wind covering all of Scotland, Northern Ireland and great swathes of England.
Massive 60mph winds are expected, especially in coastal areas as the weather takes a dive before Christmas. The Met Office said: “Strong and gusty northwesterly winds are expected to develop on Sunday. Gusts of 50-60 mph are expected quite widely, and around some exposed coasts and hills of gusts 70 mph are possible, especially in the north and west. In addition, squally showers are likely with some hail and thunder possible in places.
