New snow warning issued for Southampton and Hampshire

Weather experts have issued a warning for snow and ice from this afternoon (Thuirsday), until Friday morning.

It comes just a day after light snow and sleet hit parts of the county, following another yellow warning from the Met Office.

Hampshire was one of the areas warned of potential travel disruption ahead of Wednesday, but much of the snowfall remained in the east of the country, with London also hit.

Ahead of the newest warning, which comes into play from 1pm on Thursday, Hampshire County Council has announced it is working "round the clock" to ensure the area's roads are prepared.

Councillor Rob Humby, Executive Member for Environment and Transport at Hampshire County Council, said: “Our winter fleet is salting the main roads continuously now.

"We are doing everything we can to prepare for snow, but, if the forecast is correct, we are certainly going to have our work cut out.

"Rain is forecast from tomorrow afternoon, which will then turn to snow.

"This means that salt already on the roads may be washed away, and our winter fleet will have to start salting again as soon as the rain eases ahead of the freeze.

"We have 43 salting lorries and each route takes about three hours to complete.

"The forecast is for snow to arrive from the South West of Hampshire from about 5pm which will, therefore, impact on normal rush hour time.

"We could be in for a few hours of heavy snow, and, if the forecast is correct, more in the early hours of Friday.

"We would ask everyone who travels on Hampshire’s roads to think about their travel arrangements, be prepared for bad weather and either try to avoid travelling where practical or to plan their journeys carefully if they need to be out and about tomorrow evening.

The latest Met Office warning covers all of Hampshire and Southampton and will be in place until 9pm on Friday.

The warning states: "Snow and ice may bring disruption to parts of England and Wales from Thursday afternoon through to late Friday.

The Met Office is warning of possible travel delays on roads stranding some vehicles and passengers, as well as delays and cancellations to trains and flights.

Last year, Hampshire was blanketed by snow after a combination of cold weather patterns combined over the county.

Ice-cold Siberian winds, known as the Beast from the East, buffeted the county, turning a storm from the south into a heavy layer of snow.

The unusual weather pattern caused traffic chaos across Hampshire and a long list of school closures.