Liverpool's eagerly anticipated Sunday afternoon showdown with Manchester United could be thrown into chaos by an amber weather warning, as forecasts predict temperatures nosediving below freezing across the UK. This could result in a snowy blanket over Merseyside, disrupting not only the match but also transport and other services.
The Met Office has issued a stark warning of potential chaos from 'snow and freezing rain [that] will likely lead to disruption to transport and some other services. ' Some areas may be engulfed by up to 40 centimetres of snow.
An authoritative statement cautions: "Snow will become persistent and locally heavy as it pushes south to north across the warning area," adding, "As well as snow, a period of freezing rain is also likely bringing some hazardous travel conditions, before milder air follows across all areas by Sunday morning."
The statement reveals expected accumulations: "While there's some uncertainty in details, 3-7cm of snow is likely for most of the warning area, with locally 15-30cm for the higher ground of Wales and the southern Pennines. Freezing rain could lead to ice accretion in places, especially parts of Wales - before the milder air leads to a rapid thaw of snow and ice in the south of the warning area through Sunday."
Just a month after Liverpool's match with Everton at Goodison Park was cancelled due to the heavy rain and extreme winds of Storm Darragh, weather concerns are once again being raised in the region. In the north west, there is a risk of ice and snow from 8pm on Saturday until 8am on Sunday, which could disrupt plans.
A number of matches across the Football League and non-league have already been called off, indicating potential problems that could occur. Sleet showers are also predicted for Sunday morning, starting at 11am.
Fans have been advised to keep up to date with the latest travel advice for their safety and convenience. This is especially important for United supporters who are visiting.
The National Highways agency has announced that the A628 Snake Pass between Sheffield and Manchester is expected to close at 10pm as a precaution, which could affect some of those not travelling to the match from the city itself.
