The MET office have just issued an Amber warning, warning the town will experience heavy snow with temperatures dropping to -3° but it will feel like -11°.
The freezing weather is a result of Storm Emma colliding with the cold spell ‘Beast from the East’. As a result, Bournemouth is expected to see around 10cm to 20 cm of snow, which will be accompanied by strong easterly winds resulting in blizzards and considerable drifting.
Hospital
The Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch hospitals have postponed routine procedures, outpatient clinics and diagnostic appointments.
With freezing winds and blizzard conditions predicted we want to minimise risks to patients attending hospital. Please find our advice on hospital appointments here: https://t.co/MnlrgMqMOz
— Bournemouth Hospital (@RBCH_NHS) March 1, 2018
Public transport
Morebus are facing delays due to the weather.
The Cango service will not be running at present due to unsafe weather conditions in Sway and New Milton.
— Morebus (@Morebusco) March 1, 2018
Schools and Education centres closed
As a precautionary measure, the majority of schools in Bournemouth are staying closed, including Bournemouth and Poole College.
The full list can be seen here.
Bournemouth University and Arts university Bournemouth have decided to close down.
CAMPUS CLOSURE: BU’s campuses will be closed from 2.30pm today, please read our story for more information. We will provide further updates about tomorrow as soon as is practicable: https://t.co/3KH6fRxupj
— Bournemouth Uni (@bournemouthuni) March 1, 2018
Other services closed
Bournemouth Pier will not open due to the lack of water supply but hopes to re-open tomorrow, as usual.
Dorset Police have decided to cancel all ‘Dorset Driver awareness’ courses for safety reasons.
Roads
The Met office cautions “Some roads may become blocked by deep snow, stranding vehicles and passengers.” The town could also face interruptions to power supplies, damage to trees and other buildings due to heavy snow.
Do not make unnecessary journeys in the red warning area. Even if you are in the Amber or Yellow areas, consider if your journey is necessary, and take provisions in case you get stranded. Take care and stay #weatheraware #StormEmma #RedWarning pic.twitter.com/rwqLlgemru
— Met Office (@metoffice) March 1, 2018
Bournemouth Council warns people to travel only if necessary and assure that they will keep Community Centers open for use. They have four gritters ready to clear out the snow.
Our Community Development staff are out and about making sure our community centres remain open for their users. Community Liaison Officer Mandy Nicholls braved the snow to walk to Howe Croft Community Centre to grit the paths to make it safe for our users. #BeastFromTheEastpic.twitter.com/qFwvp1rtkM
— Bournemouth Council (@bournemouthbc) March 1, 2018
