Sussex and Surrey weather warning: This is when snow could arrive and which areas are affected

Temperatures are expected to be below zero degrees Celsius from Thursday night (January 2) until late Friday morning – with lows of minus five at 6am in Sussex and Surrey.

As a result, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued an amber cold health alert until 12pm on Wednesday, January 8.

The UKHSA said forecasted weather is ‘likely to cause significant impacts across health and social care services’, adding that a ‘rise in deaths’ is likely – ‘particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions’. The UKHSA said we ‘may also see impacts on younger age groups’.

Meanwhile, the Met Office’s yellow warning for snow covers the majority of the UK – including the entirety of Surrey – from Saturday (January 4) until Monday (January 6).

The Sussex areas affected include: Midhurst, Petworth, Crawley, Horsham, Billingshurst, Haywards Heath, Crowborough, Uckfield, Heathfield and Robertsbridge.

No coastal areas in Sussex are covered by the yellow warning. Among the towns joining them are Arundel, Steyning, Polegate and Battle.

The Met Office warning reads: “Heavy snow may cause some disruption over the weekend.

"There is a small chance that power cuts will occur and other services, such as mobile phone coverage, may be affected.

"There is a slight chance that some rural communities could become cut off.

"There is a chance of travel delays on roads with some stranded vehicles and passengers, along with delayed or cancelled rail and air travel.”

The Met Office has predicted that outbreaks of rain will spread northeastwards later on Saturday and overnight into Sunday. This will ‘likely be preceded by a spell of snow on its northern flank’.

The weather experts added: “Whilst there is a fair bit of uncertainty as to how far north this may spread, and how long any snow will last, significant accumulations of snow are possible, especially (but not exclusively) on hills.

"Currently, parts of the Midlands, Wales and northern England are most at risk of disruption, where five centimetres or more could accumulate fairly widely, with perhaps as much as 20-30 cm over high ground of Wales and/or the Pennines. This, accompanied by strengthening winds, may lead to drifting of lying snow.

"In addition, as milder air attempts to move northwards into southern and central areas, snow may turn to a spell of freezing rain for a time, adding to the risk of ice. If milder air is able to spread more bodily northwards, any snow in southern parts of the warning area may be relatively short-lived before turning to rain.

"Given the uncertainties, it is quite likely this warning area and start/end times will be refined over the coming days as confidence increases in areas most likely to be impacted.”

The outlook for Saturday to Monday – in the South East of England – reads: “Saturday frosty start then becoming cloudy, with rain or perhaps temporarily snow, arriving later. Sunday probably milder, windy with spells of rain. Monday windy, turning colder with rain or showers.”

How to stay safe

The Met Office warned that snowy, wintry weather ‘can cause delays’ and ‘make driving conditions dangerous’.

To keep yourself and others safe: you should: plan your route, checking for delays and road closures, amending your travel plans if necessary; if driving, leave more time to prepare and check your car before setting off; make sure you have essentials packed in your car in the event of any delays (warm clothing, food, water, a blanket, a torch, ice scraper/de-icer, a warning triangle, high visibility vest and an in-car phone charger).

The Met Office website read: “People cope better with power cuts when they have prepared for them in advance. It’s easy to do; consider gathering torches and batteries, a mobile phone power pack and other essential items.

"People cope better when they have prepared in advance for the risk of power cuts or being cut off from services and amenities due to the snow. It’s easy to do; consider gathering torches and batteries, a mobile phone power pack and other essential items.

"Be prepared for weather warnings to change quickly: when a weather warning is issued, the Met Office recommends staying up to date with the weather forecast in your area.”