A snow warning is in place in Wales, with sleet set to affect driving conditions in England

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Commuters are being warned they could face disruption to their journeys as wintry conditions continue across the UK.

A yellow warning for snow in parts of southern and central Wales is in place until 11am, with between two and six centimetres of snow forecast. Rain and sleet are also expected to affect driving conditions on Thursday, including in the West Midlands.

Overnight, temperatures plunged to as low as -2.9C (26.8F) in Santon Downham in Suffolk, while snow began falling on higher ground in some areas, including Powys in Wales. The Met Office urged drivers to take care on icy stretches of road.

The forecaster Luke Miall said: “It will cause some disruption for the morning commute in certain areas. There could be some minor road closures if it’s particularly bad over some of the higher routes.”

In County Durham, the fire service warned people of black ice and slush on the A1M near Chester-le-Street, and said there had already been several accidents.

Central and southern parts of England could see heavy thundery downpours throughout the day, while the best of the weather is likely to be across eastern England. Temperatures were predicted to struggle to get above 10-11C, but could feel as low as 7-8C in the wind and rain, forecasters said.

Weatherwatch: when a warm March lulls us into a false sense of security Read more

Spring got off to a wintry start across many parts of the country this week, with hill snow, hail and sleet. Forecasters said a deep area of low pressure was centred over the UK, bringing with it the potential to produce long spells of wet and changeable weather.

A sudden “microburst” of hail and snow caused a 24-car motorway pile-up, Lancashire police said on Wednesday. The M55 was closed in both directions but no one was seriously injured, the force said.

On Friday there could be rain in the west and far north, with conditions being brighter elsewhere.

Over the weekend there will be drizzle in the east, with brighter spells in other parts of the country and conditions becoming warmer away from the east coast.