It issued a severe weather alert for snow which is in place for England until 23.59pm tonight and advised road users to check ahead and make sure they plan for possible disruptions on their journey.
The organisation said: “A spell of disruptive snow is going to spread north-eastwards across southern and central parts of the network on Saturday evening.
“It seems likely that the snow will only settle above 150m elevation, leading to negligible (approx 1cm) accumulations at low levels but 2-5cm on any modest hills and perhaps up to 10cm in some spot locations.”
There is a severe weather warning for snow across England between 15:00 today, Saturday 4th January 2025 and Sunday 5th January 2025.
For more information please follow this link: https://t.co/9wUDjKMvtW pic.twitter.com/wOEJMlm0wN
— National Highways (@NationalHways) January 4, 2025
With the snow falling over Saturday evening for about 6-7 hours in some areas, National Highways warned that it will turn to rain and “initiate a thaw”.
National Highways added: “The rain may initially fall on to frozen ground and lead to ice in places. High ground is more at risk of this, such as the Cotswolds and the Peak District.
“With mild air becoming widely established in southern and central parts through the course of Sunday, a rapid thawing will take place.
“In the north however, the snow will arrive later but will tend to stall and decay in-situ through the remainder of Sunday, leading to greater accumulations.”
Will the snow settle?
You might be wondering if the snow will settle – here’s what we know.
National Highways explained: “The snow will only settle on roads above 100m elevation and will tend to become confined to higher ground over time but the trans-Pennine routes will be hit badly, with as much as 10-20cm, perhaps 25cm, over the highest parts of the network (A66 Old Spittal, M62 Windy Hill, A628 Woodhead Pass).
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“The snow will become light and patchy during the afternoon and through the evening, not adding much in terms of accumulation however, there will not be much thawing either and any lying snow will likely stay there for quite a few days.”
Met Office reveals snowiest areas in the UK
The Met Office shared the “snowiest” areas within its network, adding the amount of snow experienced in each of these places.
Taking to X, the forecaster said: “Some parts of the country will be waking up to a winter wonderland this morning, but for others the snow has already come and gone”.
It added that the following snow depths were accurate as of 7am today.
It said Bingley in West Yorkshire was the snowiest with 12cm.
Shap in Cumbria and Capel Curig in Gwynedd both had 10cm of snow.
Some parts of the country will be waking up to a winter wonderland this morning, but for others the snow has already come and gone ❄️
Here are the current snowiest places from our network of UK weather stations as of 07:00 this morning 👇 pic.twitter.com/y8qsdspFEg
— Met Office (@metoffice) January 5, 2025
Leeming, North Yorkshire and Loch Glascarnoch, Ross and Cromarty had 7cm and 6cm of snow respectively.
Lake Vyrnwy in Powys also had 6cm of snow as of 7am.
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National Highways and the Met Office, strongly advise “travel is likely to be extended or even disrupted.”
National Highways added: “Road users should heed messages on the overhead signs and listen for radio updates.
“Road users are advised to take extra care if travelling over the weekend.”