Overview
- Yellow warnings cover large parts of England and Wales and amber snow alerts are in force in parts of Scotland, with some advisories in place until about 11:00 GMT on Tuesday, 6 January.
- Transport Scotland said particularly cold weather will affect driving conditions and urged motorists to plan journeys, leave extra time and drive to the conditions.
- Many vehicles display a snowflake icon when external temperatures fall to around 3°C to flag the increased likelihood of black ice.
- Some systems escalate the warning below 0°C by changing the symbol’s colour from amber to red to indicate greater danger.
- The snowflake indicator is an advisory alert rather than a mechanical fault, and Highway Code Rule 231 calls for very cautious driving on icy roads with gentle inputs and longer stopping distances.