By Tommy Bonnet
Heavy snowfall has caused school closures and transport delays across Nottinghamshire after a weather warning was issued for unseasonably cold temperatures.
Parts of the city and county have been some of the worst affected in the country overnight and into Tuesday (November 19).
Some local areas including Watnall experienced 12cm (4.5″) of snow overnight following a yellow weather warning for snow and ice issued by forecasters the Met Office.
The conditions led to delays on the road networks, some school closures and other disruption, although the weather warning for Nottinghamshire had been lifted as of 11am on Tuesday (November 19).
Roads
Nottinghamshire County Council gritters have been out through last night (18 November) ensuring roads were prepared for the incoming snow – from 7pm salting main routes to 1am and 5am again.
The county council says teams are expected to continue salting roads from 11am today to support further problems, as temperatures are forecasted to fall below freezing this evening.
While gritting has helped with poor weather conditions, some Nottingham city buses have been disrupted and diverted from regular routes.
Buses, trains and planes
Several routes ands bus stops have been changed, and city bus provider NCTX is advising people to check their website’s disruption page for updates on individual buses.
At East Midlands Airport the runway has been reported as clear of snow, however some departures may still experience some delays – travellers are asked to check with their airlines.
East Midlands Railway says the snow has caused direct disruption to its services between Nottingham, Mansfield and Worksop.
Although trains are running on Tuesday, most are around an hour to an hour and twenty minutes late along this route.
School closures
At least 20 schools across the county are also closed this morning due to the snowfall and icy conditions making travel unsafe to and from school.
Bulwell Academy has reported that packed ice and snow have made the walkways around the school unsafe. With Nottingham Academy also reporting closure, students are expected to continue learning online through Microsoft teams.
A statement from Bulwell Academy read: “The school grounds have been assessed as being unsafe due to packed ice and snow on the walkways making the area unsafe.
“Please check our website for any further updates. A text will be sent no later than 7.30am tomorrow to inform you whether we will be open.”
The forecast
According to the Met Office, from 7pm through to tomorrow morning, temperatures are set to reach below freezing all night, with no more expected snow forecasted yet for tonight, but further ice and snow possible Thursday to Sunday – although temperatures are expected to rise at the weekend.
The yellow weather warning previously in place for Notts has now moved to cover the far north of Scotland and east of England, with no new warning in place for Nottinghamshire.
