Brace yourself Flintshire! More snow showers on the way as Met Office extends weather warning

The Met Office has issued a second yellow weather alert for Ice and Snow covering most of northern Wales, including Flintshire and Wrexham, as well as the North West of England.

The warning, which was originally in place from 12pm Monday through to 12pm today, has now been extended through to 12pm on Wednesday.

According to the Met Office, snow showers will affect the region through Tuesday afternoon and continue in many places overnight and into Wednesday morning.”

“Accumulations of a couple of centimetres are likely at low levels, with higher ground potentially seeing 5-10 cm, and up to 15 cm for the higher ground in northern Northern Ireland and mid/northern Wales. In addition, icy stretches are likely to form following showers.”

Flintshire has already seen some moderate snowfall over the last few hours, causing travel disruption on the roads and a number of road traffic collisions in treacherous conditions.

Eight schools have been closed in the region due to the dangerous conditions.

Motorists are also reminded to take extra care on the roads and to ensure their vehicle is properly equipped for winter driving. This is a developing story and we will bring you more information as it becomes available.

This tweet was posted prior to the new warning being issued:

Met Office yellow alert for snow ends at 12pm, bright blue skies at the moment, but more snow could be on the cards locally later this evening, below shows the next 24 hours.. pic.twitter.com/845alkUeqy

— DEESIDE.com (@DeesideDotCom) January 17, 2023

Becky Guy, Road Safety Manager at Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, said: ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​

“These wintry conditions can decrease visibility, increase stopping distances and the risk of skidding, which can all increase the risk of being involved in a crash.” ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​

“If you can, avoid driving in such weather, and if you are expected to drive for work, do ask your employer about whether it has a winter driving policy.” ‌

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“Things to check before you set off include that all of your lights are working and clean, your tyres are inflated correctly and have at least 3mm of tread, you have enough fuel or charge in the car for unforeseen events and a way of contacting someone in an emergency. Finally, if in doubt and you are able to, postpone your trip until conditions improve.” ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​

Keeping safe in sleet, hail and snow ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​

To help keep drivers safe, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents has shared its top winter driving tips to help keep drivers and riders safe. ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​

Before your journey ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​

• Plan your journey, checking the traffic news and allowing extra time
• If it has been snowing, be sure to remove snow from the top of your car so that it does not slide down and obstruct your view when driving
• Check fuel or charge levels before you set off to allow for unexpected delays
• If you drive an automatic car, check the handbook to see if there’s a winter driving mode setting
• Assess whether your journey is essential, and speak to your employer about whether they have a winter driving policy

Driving on winter roads ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​

• Pull off in second gear, going gently on the clutch to avoid wheel-spin
• Leave plenty of room between you and other road users, applying your brakes gradually and in good time
• When driving uphill, check the road is clear and try to avoid stopping part way up to prevent you from rolling backwards
• When driving downhill, keep it slow and use a low gear
• Remember that braking distance can increase up to double in wet weather and by 10 times in icy weather

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