Met Office issue update on snow chance for Devon and Cornwall

The Met Office is warning of a chilly week ahead with a smattering of rain and some icy roads to navigate. As winter starts to bite hard in the far north of Scotland, the rest of the country is gearing up for near freezing temperatures with sub-zero figures during the night, especially if there is no cloud cover to trap the heat of the day in. At the moment, no specific warnings have been issued for the West Country and no snow has been forecast in the Met Office'[1]s or BBC Weather[2]'s forecasts for areas of Devon and Cornwall.

But anyone travelling to parts of Wales, or the West Midlands and up to the North west of England and parts of Scotland will find themselves in a warning zone from tomorrow until Thursday. The continued cold weather is due to Arctic air sweeping south down the UK, bringing an increasing chance of snow across many areas. Wednesday is seen as the day when there is a risk of snowfall across southern parts of the UK, according to the Met Office.

The Met Office has issued a weather[5] forecast for the South West and motorists will have to be mindful of slippery streets.

Monday:

Wintry showers at times across Devon and Cornwall, particularly on northern coasts. Blue skies and plenty of crisp winter sunshine elsewhere. Feeling cold in the brisk northerly winds.

Maximum temperature 5 ?C. A few wintry flurries may continue overnight in Devon and Cornwall, perhaps moving up the Bristol Channel later too. Otherwise a dry and very cold night with a severe frost.

Minimum temperature -5 ?C.

Tuesday:

A very frosty start tomorrow, but otherwise a generally dry day with sunny spells and occasional cloudier periods. Still cold but not as bitter as today due to lighter winds. Maximum temperature 6 ?C.

Outlook for Wednesday to Friday:

A small chance of some light snow on southern coasts on Wednesday, otherwise a dry and increasingly sunny day.

Largely fine thereafter with isolated wintry showers. Cold with overnight frosts. Devon County Council[6] Highways have been sending out its gritters over the weekend and they are likely to continue their good work during the week ahead.

The council's website notes: "Devon County Council maintains nearly 13,000 km of roads in the county. During a winter emergency, it is not practicable or cost-effective for the whole network to be pre-treated or cleared immediately. "Criteria have been developed enabling the primary salting network[7] to be defined.

This ensures a consistent approach across the county and achieves a reasonable balance between cost and level of service. "Our primary salting network covers around 20% of the total road length but gives direct or close access to 80% of the population. "With this in mind, we will only action reports of ice that are on the primary or secondary salting networks.

These roads are highlighted on the map by red and blue lines. "During icy periods it is expected that roads may be icy, even those that are treated."

Meanwhile, Cornwall Council states on its website: "We are responsible for over 7,250 kilometres (4,530 miles) of road. From major principal roads to narrow country lanes. Highways England[8] manage the trunk roads A38 and the A30 east of Penzance.

"Winter service is an important part of our maintenance work.

We spend approximately GBP1.5m each year on roads affected by winter weather.

References

1. ^ Met Office' (www.metoffice.gov.uk)
2. ^ BBC Weather (www.bbc.co.uk)
3. ^ Area of Devon has the longest journey to GP in England (www.devonlive.com)
4. ^ Disbelief as Mercedes gets stuck in sand on Cornwall beach (www.devonlive.com)
5. ^ weather (www.devonlive.com)
6. ^ Devon County Council (www.devonlive.com)
7. ^ primary salting network (www.devon.gov.uk)
8. ^ Highways England (www.gov.uk)