Beast from the East: Set for a white weekend? How much more snow are we likely to have in Yorkshire?

UPDATED: Which schools are closed in Yorkshire today due to the snow?

As the Beast from the East finally showed its claws across the county this morning, forecasters from the Met Office are warning this is likely to just be the start with further snow showers expected for the next four days.

Yellow and the more serious Amber warnings have been issued for various parts of the county... here is the very latest.

Yorkshire weather for Wednesday

The Amber Warning for the northern and central areas of Yorkshire has been issued for 6am Wednesday through to 6pm on Thursday and reads: “Frequent and heavy snow showers are expected on Wednesday and Thursday leading to some significant accumulations developing.

“Long delays and cancellations on bus, rail and air travel could occur. Roads may become blocked by deep snow, with many stranded vehicles and passengers. Some rural communities might be cut off for several days. Long interruptions to power supplies and other services such as telephone and mobile phone networks, could occur.”

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The Chief Forecaster’s assessment reads: “Snow showers will bring variable snow cover, but parts of northeast England and Scotland are expected to see the most frequent snow showers from Wednesday morning to Thursday afternoon.

“During this time, 5-10 cm of snow is expected quite widely. Where showers become organised though, most likely across Scotland and over the hills of northern England, some places are likely to have an additional 15-25 cm of snow, locally as much as 40 cm.

“Strong winds will lead to drifting of snow and severe wind chill, while lightning could be an additional hazard, particularly near coasts. This warning has been updated to extend the area south across parts of northern England, this particularly for Wednesday and the first part of Thursday, whilst the end time has been extended to later on Thursday.”

The Yellow Warning for Wednesday covers the full day and stretches across the whole of Yorkshire and states that heavy snow showers can be expected with the potential for 10-15 cm of snow where showers are most frequent in the north.

Yorkshire weather for Thursday

Focused mainly in the northern half of Yorkshire, the Amber Warning states there could be some significant accumulations of snow developing.

The Chief Forecaster’s assessment reads: “Snow showers will bring variable snow cover, but parts of northeast England and Scotland are expected to see the most frequent snow showers from Wednesday morning to Thursday afternoon.

“During this time, 5-10 cm of snow is expected quite widely. Where showers become organised though, most likely across Scotland and over the hills of northern England, some places are likely to have an additional 15-25 cm of snow, locally as much as 40 cm.

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“Strong winds will lead to drifting of snow and severe wind chill, while lightning could be an additional hazard, particularly near coasts. This warning has been updated to extend the area south across parts of northern England, this particularly for Wednesday and the first part of Thursday, whilst the end time has been extended to later on Thursday.”

Yorkshire weather for Friday and Saturday

While there are no Amber Warnings yet for Yorkshire on Friday, there are already two Yellow Warnings for wind and snow issued across the county, with one focused on the north and one on the south.

The warnings are issued for the whole day Friday and read: “There is potential for a spell of heavy snow, accompanied by strong winds at first during Friday, and perhaps further bands of snow following in behind on Saturday.

“Snow showers are expected to continue over parts of northern Britain, bringing a further risk of ice and further accumulations of snow.

“Further delays to travel and public transport could occur, whilst some rural communities could become or remain cut off. Further impacts to power supplies/mobile phone coverage are also possible.”

The Chief Forecaster’s assessment reads: “Frequent snow showers are likely to continue feeding in from the North Sea on a very cold easterly wind. Due to the nature of showers, some places are expected to receive an additional 5-10 cm of snow per day, whereas other places nearby may only receive small amounts.

“Brisk winds will lead to some drifting of snow, as well as a severe wind chill, although these are expected to begin to ease through Friday.”