Warning of more Shropshire snow before big thaw sets in
Shropshire and Mid Wales were braced for icy conditions today and more snow flurries, before the big thaw is forecast to begin at the weekend.
The Met Office issued a yellow alert for ice today and for snow tomorrow with the temperature overnight set to drop to -5C (23F).
Up to 2in (5cm) of snow is expected tomorrow with the possibility of up to 5in (13cm) on high ground.
Both Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin Councils sent gritters out yesterday and were expected to do so again today.
However, temperatures are set to rise sharply over the weekend, causing fears of snow and ice thawing quickly, leading to floods.
The prediction prompted advice from the Environment Agency urging people to build snowmen to help regulate the flow of water.
Roy Stokes, from the agency, said: "Ideally, if everybody built themselves a snowman that will slow the thaw down a bit.
"If you notice, when people clear their drive the snow thaws away but the compacted piles stay which will give a balanced thaw."
However a spokeswoman later said it would have a limited impact on the rate of thawing.
Nationally, the severe weather has been blamed for at least nine deaths.
In Somerset, gritter crews have been working around the clock after nearly 15cm of snow fell in 24 hours. Hundreds of schools across Wales were closed for a second day running yesterday.
