Cumbria is set for an icy start this week.
The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for icy conditions from yesterday Monday February 16 at 6pm until today, Tuesday February 17 at 10am.
It said it follows on from the weekend’s rain, sleet and hill snow and some patchy accumulations of snow are still possible, but more so above 150 metres to 200 metres of elevation.
Ice will be the greater hazard as temperatures fall quickly once showers clear away.
What should I expect?
- Some injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces
- Probably some icy patches on some untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths
Why should I care about weather warnings?
Weather warnings are issued to let people know what weather is in store for their area and what its impact could be.
The Met Office is the UK’s official weather service and is responsible for issuing weather warnings to the public.
There are three main levels of weather warning:
- Yellow – which asks people to be prepared for disruption
- Amber – which asks people to change plans that could be impacted by the weather and take action to protect themselves and their property
- Red – which is issued for weather that poses a danger to life and asks people to immediately take direct action to keep themselves and others safe from impacts of the weather
Yellow and amber warnings represent a range of impact levels and likelihoods of. This means it is important to read each warning to know what kind of impact to expect in your area, and how likely those impacts are to occur.
The Met Office began issuing impact-based warnings in 2011, which means that warnings are issued whenever the weather may have an impact on people’s day to day lives.
Previous to this, warnings were issued to the public when certain weather thresholds or levels were reached.
Impact-based warnings take multiple factors into account, these include time of day, if it may impact traffic, time of year, if the weather is unusual, if there are any seasonal events taking place and if the area is well equipped to deal with the weather.
Each warning level is designed to help people take steps to minimise the chances of disruption in their lives.
