Issued by the Met Office at 05:54 on Thursday, 16th December 2010
A band of rain and sleet will move southwards during this afternoon and evening with very cold air following. This will lead to widespread ice forming on untreated surfaces as the rain and sleet clears away, leading to dangerous driving conditions.
There will be outbreaks of rain this morning and these are likely turn more to sleet and snow during the afternoon as the cold air arrives. We may find a slight covering of snow in places by the end of the afternoon but the main risk is still one of ice for the evening rush hour as the wet roads and pavements are likely to freeze readily once the precipitation stops.
Most places will have a dry but very cold night. A few snow showers could blow into to more western areas, particularly Oxfordshire during the evening and overnight. The same pattern will continue through Friday with most places very cold but mostly dry. There is a risk of a few snow showers cropping up almost anywhere but Oxfordshire and, perhaps, West Berks have a higher risk in the northwesterly wind. No great disruption is expected from these showers though.
The public are advised to take extra care and refer to the Highways Agency for further advice on traffic disruption on motorways and trunk roads.
