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Snow update and advice
SNOW: Riccall in the snow. (BUY THIS PHOTO L8504TS) Picture: Tony Saxton
Road users, particularly in the North and Midlands, are being advised to check the weather forecast and road conditions before travelling tomorrow and over the weekend as heavy rain is expected to turn to snow - bringing blizzard conditions in some areas.
The Highways Agency, which manages motorways and major A roads in England, has issued an amber alert for an area covering the north of England, Midlands and East.
Difficult driving conditions are being forecast as snow falls over the north west Midlands and Cheshire during the early hours of Friday morning, then spreading towards Manchester and further north by rush hour.
Dean Snowden, Met Office forecaster based in the Highways Agency’s National Traffic Operations Centre said:
“The combination of snow and strong winds will mean blizzard conditions, with roads such as the M62 and Woodhead Pass first to bear the brunt tomorrow (Friday) morning.
“After spreading across most of the northern parts of the Highways Agency network, it looks very likely the severe weather will then edge southwards again with the Midlands seeing more snow on Saturday and this spreading into East Anglia and even further into the south east during the weekend.”
Highways Agency traffic officers across the country will be monitoring weather and traffic conditions around the clock and will be on hand to quickly respond to incidents.
Steve Crosthwaite, head of the Agency’s National Traffic Operations Centre said:
“Winter certainly isn’t over yet and there’s not been much rest for our gritting fleet. We are doing everything we can to ensure our roads are affected as little as possible by the adverse weather but we would urge road users to play their part by checking weather forecasts and traffic conditions before they set out and to drive with extra care.
The Highways Agency has a 500-strong fleet of salt spreaders and snow ploughs to keep the motorways and major A roads as clear as possible. The fleet has been in operation throughout the winter and has already clocked up around 2,500,000 miles treating the network.
Information about a winter driving kit and other advice to help motorists be prepared for winter is on the Highways Agency website at www.highways.gov.uk/winter.
Information on road conditions on England’s motorways and trunk roads is available on the Highways Agency website www.highways.gov.uk/traffic or by calling the Highways Agency Information Line on 0300 123 5000.
Traffic information is available on Twitter by following one of eight regional channels with winter driving information on @winterhighways and on Facebook (www.facebook.com/winterhighways)
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Weather for Selby
Friday 24 May 2013
Today
Light showers
Temperature: 4 C to 11 C
Wind Speed: 28 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 4 C to 16 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: North west
