More snow for Yorkshire and 'avalanche risk' as weather warning extended to three days - Met Office forecast

The Beast from the East is set to return for 2021 as early as this weekend, according to weather forecasters who are predicting snow in Yorkshire and across much of the UK.

Back in 2018, the Beast from the East brought huge snow storms to the UK, burying much of the country under serious snowfall. Yorkshire was covered in heavy snow for days on end, as these photos we published at the time show.Now the Met Office has issued a fresh snow warning for several parts of Yorkshire, starting on Saturday.;

In some parts of the county the warning has been further extended through to Monday, bringing with it an extra day of potential snow and ice disruption.

In Leeds, the yellow weather warning for snow and ice starts at 3pm on Saturday and ends at just before midnight on Monday evening.

In South Yorkshire the warning remains in place only on Saturday and Sunday, while in North Yorkshire the warning has also been extended to three days.

In the Yorkshire Dales, a warning has been issued for heavy snow in the hills, and a 'heightened avalanche risk' is possible.

The Met Office said in its Dales forecast: "Heavy snow can lead to rapid changes in underfoot conditions and paths may become treacherous or hidden. It also brings very poor visibility and often makes navigation much more challenging. When deep snow accumulates progress is often time consuming and strenuous, significantly affecting the distance one can travel on foot. Deep drifts can develop if snow is combined with strong winds. A heightened avalanche risk is possible and avalanche reports should be consulted where available."

What the Met Office says for Yorkshire

The forecast says the first sleet will fall at about 9pm on Saturday in West Yorkshire, whereas most of the snow is forecast for Sunday or Monday in North and South Yorkshire.

On Sunday, conditions will be mostly overcast but cold, with light snow falling from the early evening through to early on Monday morning.

After that, the weather will stay cloudy for a few hours, followed by bursts of light snow periodically until the end of the yellow weather warning period at midnight.

The forecast for the region says: "Cold conditions will persist through the weekend and into the following week with some disruption from snow and ice possible

"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 small chance that power cuts will occur and other services, such as mobile phone coverage, may be affected

"There is a slight chance that some rural communities could become cut off

"A small chance that untreated pavements and cycle paths become impassable"

That lines up with the medium-range forecasts from the BBC which predict another Beast from the East style event in the coming weeks.

Their forecast says: "As the colder air crosses the relatively warmer North Sea, heavy showers are likely to develop and move into eastern and central parts of Britain.

"With the colder polar airmass, these showers may fall as snow even to low levels, possibly as low as sea level.

"In mid-February, high pressure is expected to remain over Scandinavia throughout the week, keeping things rather cold. This setup is similar to the classic "Beast from the East" from 2018, and there is potential for some heavy snow showers

"We have high confidence that the high pressure system will develop, and it will turn colder than normal. The coldest days will tend to be around midweek as the air from Russia finally arrives in force."

What happened during the Beast from the East in 2018?

On March 1, 2018, Leeds was struck by the blizzard, which blanketed Yorkshire in deep snow, the likes of which hadn't been seen for years before.

West Yorkshire and North Yorkshire seemed to be hit the hardest although there was a lot of snow right across the region including in South Yorkshire too. Heavy downpours continued for longer than originally predicted by the Met Office and Yorkshire was soon blanketed with the white stuff.

On the M62, drivers were stranded for hours in heavy snow as the motorway was closed due to the conditions.

Tragedy also struck when a pensioner, aged 75, was found dead under a car in the freezing conditions. The unnamed pensioner was discovered lying partially under a car at 6am on as temperatures plunged as low as -6C.

Leeds Bradford Airport suspended flights while the snow continued, and Jet2 were giving delayed passengers money so they could remain fed and watered.

The vast majority of schools across the region were closed throughout the morning, with some opening later than usual.