A three-day snow warning has been issued for all parts of Greater Manchester as temperatures look set to plummet this week.
The Met Office has a yellow alert in place 12am on Saturday (January 4) covering the whole of the region. It will remain in force until 9am on Monday (January 6).
Up to 30cm of snow is expected to fall on higher ground, particularly across the Pennines. Strong winds may also spread lying snow.
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The timing of the warning is expected to be refined in coming days as the forecaster develops a clearer picture of how temperatures are expected to change later this week.
Residents have been told there is a small chance that power cuts will occur and other services, such as mobile phone coverage, may be affected. There is a slight chance that some rural communities could become cut off.
The forecaster has advised drivers there could be severe disruption on the region’s roads – with the potential for some vehicles to become stranded. Disruption is also expected on rail across the north west.
A spokesperson for the Met Office said: “Outbreaks of rain spreading northeastwards later on Saturday and overnight into Sunday will likely be preceded by a spell of snow on its northern flank. Whilst there is a fair bit of uncertainty as to how far north this may spread, and how long any snow will last, significant accumulations of snow are possible, especially (but not exclusively) on hills.
The Met Office yellow alert for snow
“Currently, parts of the Midlands, Wales and northern England are most at risk of disruption, where 5cm or more could accumulate fairly widely, with perhaps as much as 20-30 cm over high ground of Wales and/or the Pennines. This, accompanied by strengthening winds, may lead to drifting of lying snow.
“In addition, as milder air attempts to move northwards into southern and central areas, snow may turn to a spell of freezing rain for a time, adding to the risk of ice. If milder air is able to spread more bodily northwards, any snow in southern parts of the warning area may be relatively short-lived before turning to rain.
“Given the uncertainties, it is quite likely this warning area and start/end times will be refined over the coming days as confidence increases in areas most likely to be impacted.”