North West weather forecast: yellow weather warnings issued as snow, sleet and hail to blast Lancashire and Cheshire

North West England is set to be blasted with freezing weather conditions as a yellow weather warning is issued for snow, sleet and hail.
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The Met Office is warning the wintry showers could lead to icy stretches, likely resulting in some travel disruption in parts.

Snow, sleet and hail

The yellow weather alert has been issued for parts of North West England today (26 Feb), with the warning in place until 10am on Thursday (27 Feb).

The Met Office is warning the wintry showers could lead to icy stretches (Photo: Shutterstock)The Met Office is warning the wintry showers could lead to icy stretches (Photo: Shutterstock)
The Met Office is warning the wintry showers could lead to icy stretches (Photo: Shutterstock)
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The warning extends across the county and includes Lancashire, Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Cumbria and Blackburn.

Wintry showers are expected to hit the North West through Wednesday night into Thursday morning, before developing more widely across parts of the north Midlands and north Wales.

Commuters are warned the unsettled conditions will leave surfaces wet and slippery, leading to icy stretches on untreated surfaces, and some road and railways are likely to be affected, with longer journey times expected.

Showers will fall as a mixture of hail, sleet and snow, with some areas expected to see between one and three cm of snow, mainly above 100m.

The Met Office is warning the wintry showers could lead to icy stretches (Photo: Shutterstock)The Met Office is warning the wintry showers could lead to icy stretches (Photo: Shutterstock)
The Met Office is warning the wintry showers could lead to icy stretches (Photo: Shutterstock)

The forecast in full

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The forecast for North West England today (26 Feb) is mostly cold and breezy, with some occasional sunny spells, interspersed with wintry showers.

Some of the showers are forecast to be heavy at times, especially over higher ground, and temperatures will peak at 6C.

Showers will become heavier heading into this evening, falling as both rain and snow.

The Met Office is warning the wintry showers could lead to icy stretches (Photo: ShutterstockThe Met Office is warning the wintry showers could lead to icy stretches (Photo: Shutterstock
The Met Office is warning the wintry showers could lead to icy stretches (Photo: Shutterstock

More prolonged spells of rain and snow are likely towards the end of the night in the south, with temperatures plummeting to a chilly 0C.

Thursday will remain cold, with winds strengthening throughout and wintry showers continuing, sometimes turning heavy.