DS Risk Warning: Weather; Snow and Ice

Hello all,

We don't usually comment on Yellow Warnings but as the 'S' word is mentioned, here goes:

The Met Office has issued warnings as follows:

1. Yellow warning for South West England: Snow and Ice

Between 21:00 (UTC) on Mon 6 Mar 2023 and 10:00 (UTC) on Tue 7 Mar 2023

2. Yellow warning for South West England: Snow
Between 00:00 (UTC) on Wed 8 Mar 2023 and 23:59 (UTC) on Wed 8 Mar 2023

The warnings cover the whole of our regional support area.

The first warning, repeated below, for us boils down to: There'll be some snow settling on higher ground but probably not much. It may happen on lower ground in places but we haven't a clue on how it will pan out at present! However it will clear away.

DS says; We know calling a closure is one of your most difficult decisions. However, on this basis, all we can advise is that you make sure you've ticked all the boxes of our winter weather advice, done your preparations, have your plan ready to open on a rolling basis to the vulnerable and critical pupils, if needed and carefully assess the situation in the morning on awakening.

"A band of rain will edge southwards through the course of Monday evening and early Tuesday, this rain turning to snow on hills and perhaps to lower levels in places. Many areas will see little or no accumulations of snow, but 1 to 2 cm could settle in some spots, most likely over high ground and southern parts of the warning area. The rain and snow is then expected to turn light and patchy as it slowly clears southern England on Tuesday. As skies clear overnight, ice is also likely to form readily on untreated surfaces."

The second warning, repeated below looks more certain and clear. there is content on impact on a wider travel to work area to take into account. Our advice, given above is equally applicable.

"Spells of snow reaching parts of southwest England late on Tuesday evening will then spread north during the early hours of Wednesday before clearing away eastwards during Wednesday daytime. Many parts can expect accumulations of 1 to 2 cm of snow whilst over higher parts of southwest England, especially Bodmin Moor, Dartmoor and Exmoor, along with the hills and mountains of south Wales 5 to 10 cm of snow is likely for some. Untreated surfaces are also expected to become icy."

Finally please note the emphasis on the word 'slight' in their advice and, as part of your deliberations, think resilience too!

What to expect

There is a small chance of travel delays on roads with some stranded vehicles and passengers, along with delayed or cancelled rail and air travel
There is a slight chance that some rural communities could become cut off
There is a small chance that power cuts will occur and other services, such as mobile phone coverage, may be affected
A small chance of injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces
There is a slight chance that bus and train services may be delayed or cancelled, with some road closures and longer journey times

All the best.

Bill

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