"Arctic weather to hit Bradford until Thursday" (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

"Arctic weather to hit Bradford until Thursday"

8:00am Monday 21st January 2013 in News By Claire Armstrong, T&A Reporter

Arctic weather is set to grip the district until Thursday.

Motorists are being warned to expect hazardous driving conditions as more heavy snow is forecast for today.

But over the weekend families took their chance to have fun in the snow as out came dozens and dozens of sledges as mums and dads joined their children... and in one case the family pet dog... in sliding down the hills in parks across the district.

The Met Office has issued an amber severe weather warning for Yorkshire and the Humber, with temperatures not expected to reach above freezing in Bradford over the next four days.

Today, heavy snow and temperatures as low as -3C are expected.

Tomorrow, there will be light snow and temperatures of between freezing and -2C, the Met Office has warned.

On Wednesday, temperatures could be as low as -3C again, with more light snow forecast.

And on Thursday, although the snowfall is set to stop, lows of -4C are expected.

Met Office chief forecaster Martin Young said: “Many parts will stay icy over the next few days, and there is the continuing risk of some snow at times almost anywhere.”

The Met Office uses three weather warnings, with red being the most serious and yellow being the least serious.

Mr Young said the amber warning was in place because of heavy snow expected in North-East England and Eastern Scotland, where accumulations of up to 25cm of fresh snow over the hills would drift in the strong easterly winds.

Over the weekend, train and bus companies reported little disruption to their timetables, with some bus routes in the Spen Valley being diverted away from smaller roads early on Saturday.

But it was a different story for passengers wishing to fly from Leeds-Bradford International Airport, as many flights were delayed and some cancelled.

A spokesman yesterday said: “Leeds-Bradford Airport is open. However, adverse weather conditions are causing some disruption to flight schedules.”

People were advised to check before travellling.