New 18-hour Met Office ice alert for North Wales with temperatures set to tumble

Andrew Forgrave
·2-min read
Met Office yellow warning of ice in North Wales on November 20-21
-Credit: (Image: Met Office)


A fresh ice alert for North Wales has been issued by the Met Office. With temperatures expected to tumble to -3C in places overnight, the forecaster is warning of a difficult start to Thursday morning on the region’s roads.

The yellow weather warning will be in place from 4pm on Wednesday, November 20. It will remain until 10am the following day.

Coldest conditions are forecast inland, with places likes Wrexham, Llangollen and Bala all falling to -3C. However the Met Office warned that coastal areas could also see wintry conditions.

READ MORE: 'Magic' button in every car can defrost your windscreen in rapid time

READ MORE: Water-resistant boots shoppers love so much want 'every colour' in Pavers Black Friday sale

The forecaster said: “Icy stretches are expected to form on untreated surfaces during Wednesday evening and overnight into Thursday as temperatures drop below freezing. A few sleet or snow showers are also likely at times, particularly close to coasts.”

A band of wintry showers is currently pushing towards South Wales and this will ease during the afternoon. Eastern parts of Wales are set for prolonged sunny spells today with temperatures topping at 6C. But in a brisk northerly wind, it will feel colder.

The same applies to tonight, when the chill factor is expected to drop to -5C in places. Widespread frost is expected in eastern Wales, with temperatures close to freezing on western and northern coasts. Join the North Wales Live WhatsApp community group where you can get the latest stories delivered straight to your phone

In its Thursday forecast for Wales, the Met Office said: “Cloudier than Wednesday with rain spreading into southern counties, perhaps turning to snow over hills, but staying dry in the north. Cold again with blustery winds along the south coast. Maximum temperature 6C.”

An Atlantic low is due to move across North Wales on Saturday, bringing strong winds and perhaps plenty of rain. The Met Office added: “Frosty start to Friday with wintry showers easing and sunny spells emerging.

"Becoming wet and windy into the weekend, perhaps with hill snow for a time, but also turning milder.” Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox

Find the weather forecast where you live

Latest stories

  • UK weather: Met Office warnings issued ahead of ice and 75mph winds blasting Britain this week

    Forecaster warns of travel chaos, increased chance of accidents and power cuts as temperatures plunge to below freezing and snow sweeps across parts of country

  • These lights are being installed around a Welsh city - there's a problem if you see them flashing red or purple

    It is the first city in the UK to have the lights installed

  • Watch as Florida gator drags massive python across pond

    Large Burmese pythons are known to eat alligators in Florida’s Everglades region. But sometimes the opposite is true. The accompanying footage, captured Nov. 28, shows a large gator swimming across a pond with a giant python in its

  • Met Office map shows where snow could fall TODAY as UK braced for chilly weather

    Wintry conditions will return for some Brits

  • 'Wet and windy' weather to sweep UK this week after cold spell, Met Office says

    Britons can expect milder temperatures this week, although the Met Office warns low pressure will bring a "disruptive" period of wind and rain.

  • ‘It just keeps coming and coming’: Heavy lake-effect snow dumps more than 5 feet over parts of Great Lakes region

    Post-Thanksgiving travel will be treacherous in parts of the Great Lakes region on Monday with more lake-effect snow falling after the region was already buried under feet of it, while cold temperatures remain across a large swath of the United States.

  • Rhodes: British holidaymakers issued with torrential rain warning amid deadly Storm Bora flooding

    Holidaymakers are being warned of flooded properties and streets and possible power cuts as Storm Bora hits

  • Cost of switching off UK wind farms soars to ‘absurd’ £1bn

    British bill payers have spent an “absurd” £1bn to temporarily switch off wind turbines so far this year as the grid struggles to cope with their power.

  • UK weather: Temperatures forecast as low as -10C

    Forecasters are predicting a widespread frost across the UK, with the potential for -10C (14F) in some places. Most areas will turn dry on Monday evening and, as skies clear, temperatures are set to plummet overnight. "Rural areas, mainly in Scotland, could dip as low as -10C (14F), while -6C (21F) is possible in parts of Northern Ireland and north Wales," said Sky News weather producer Chris England.

  • Colo. Girl, 4, Approached Animal She Thought Was Dog. It Was Actually a Coyote, Who Attacked Child

    “The agency is reminding everyone to be vigilant of their children and pets when living amid wildlife,” the Colorado Parks and Wildlife statement said

  • Scientists gather to decode puzzle of the world's rarest whale in 'extraordinary' New Zealand study

    It is the world’s rarest whale, with only seven of its kind ever spotted. “I can’t tell you how extraordinary it is,” said a joyful Anton van Helden, senior marine science adviser for New Zealand’s conservation agency, who gave the spade-toothed whale its name to distinguish it from other beaked species. Van Helden has studied beaked whales for 35 years, but Monday was the first time he has participated in a dissection of the spade-toothed variety.

  • Snow to hit parts of Scotland as temperatures drop below freezing

    Temperatures in parts of Scotland could hit as low as -8 degrees celcius as the colder winter weather hits the country.

  • Nephew spent hundreds of pounds to fix aunt's grave damaged by flooding

    Newport man had to pay hundreds of pounds to have his aunt's grave in St Woolos Cemetery reset after flood damage.

  • At least two people killed in Greece as Storm Bora sparks warnings

    Greece's civil protection service says they have issued an emergency alert, warning of torrential rains and strong winds in the northeast, the centre, and the region around Athens.View on euronews

  • Farmer ordered to pay more than £6k after polluting stream

    A farmer has been ordered to pay more than £6,500 after ignoring the opportunity to avoid a criminal conviction.

  • 'Water emergency' warning on two Canary Islands popular with UK tourists

    'Water emergencies' have been extended in two holiday hotspots

  • Meet the aging hunters battling bears in rural Japan

    STORY: In rural Japan a gunshot rings out. A bear slumps in a cage."This brown bear got too close to a human community. It wasn't right here but over that way in the middle of the town and on the roads close by. In this kind of situation, we have no choice other than to trap them." Bears are making their way closer to homes, and putting people’s lives at risk. Keeping the townspeople safe often falls on the shoulders of a dwindling band of aging hunters, like 75-year-old Haruo Ikegami. "I'm often the first one that gets there when they're caught like this, and I always say, 'oh come on, you're already in there?' I can't bear it."Once a common sight among the trees, hunters like Ikegami are now older, and fewer in number than before. :: RUNNING OUT OF TIMEJapan’s population is both aging and shrinking.As of 2020, about 60% of gun license-holders, like Ikegami, are over 60. And in areas where bears roam, some residents wonder what will happen when these hunters can no longer do their job. In the town of Naie, Tatsuhito Yamagishi has accused the local government of taking hunters for granted."They say we should train new hunters, but there's nothing specific on how we should do this. Who's going to hold the training sessions and the workshops? In a few years' time when we (hunters) are all over 70 years old, will there even be anybody left who could teach people how to hunt bears, even if they wanted to?"Naie’s local government declined to comment on the dispute with Yamagishi, but said officials were taking steps to address the bear problem.Japan’s environment ministry says it subsidizes local governments to train officials and conduct bear drills.But the country’s reliance on recreational bear hunters could become unsustainable, according to the hunters themselves, officials, residents and experts Reuters spoke to. :: BOLDER BEARSBoth black and brown bears’ habitats have been expanding, in part because of depopulation in rural areas, experts say.Some believe this, and less managed farmland, may be making bears more daring.And the animals appear to be raising cubs closer to human settlements, causing them to fear people less than before.All this has contributed to an increase in human-bear incidents.In the twelve months through March 2024, 219 people were attacked. Six fatally. More than 9,000 black and brown bears were trapped and culled over that period, according to Japan’s environment ministry.84-year-old Katsuo Harada carries scars from over 20 years ago, when a bear sank its teeth into his skull.'It was like it was gnawing on a raw radish, scraping and crunching. I passed out at the sound and I don't know what happened beyond that."Harada is now part of a group that helps keep problematic wildlife at bay."I feel that I have to protect the people living here. Whenever I set a trap, you saw today there are four locations, I'm driven forwards by the thought that if I hadn't laid the traps, somebody could have been killed." One common way to trap bears is by using a large cage with bait, like a deer carcass, salmon or honey. The trap is designed so that the creature steps on a metal plate when it goes near the bait, triggering the door to close. The local authorities then make a call on what to do with the animal and may involve licensed hunters to kill it. The trapped bear is looked after and fed until it is culled.As an alternative solution, some companies are turning to technology.This “Monster Wolf” robot growls, barks and emits threats. Costing about $2,500, it is triggered by a sensor and powered by solar energy.It has shown some success, but Yamagishi explains that it takes years for humans to learn how to trap bears and insists their expertise will remain indispensable. :: DWINDLING FRONT LINEResponding to the increase in attacks, the Japanese government this year proposed relaxing rules around gun use to make it easier to shoot bears in urban areas.But hunters say it’s hard to find new recruits because the job is expensive, unappealing, and exhausting.Some get 8,000 yen, or about $50 from local governments for a bear cull. This might cover expenses and fuel, Ikegami says, but little else. A system is needed, they suggest, where hunters are paid enough to support a family. Because if the younger generation doesn’t take up the torch, the last line of defence will soon be gone.

  • Met Office warns of snow for northern UK as temperatures to plummet again

    Northerly winds will bring colder conditions to the UK as the new week gets underway

  • Weather maps show when snow could next fall in County Durham and Darlington

    Met Office and WXCharts: Across the month, flurries of snow and a more significant downpour of 'winter weather' will hit County Durham and Darlington.

  • 50ft sinkhole in Welsh town ‘getting bigger and bigger’

    A 50-ft sinkhole that has led to the evacuation of residents in a Welsh town is getting “bigger and bigger”, a council leader has said.