Friday: Wrexham Snow – Live Updates And Information

Welcome to our live coverage of the snowfall around the Wrexham area on Friday 18th January.

Town Centre SnowCam: click here for bigger version

Zoomed SnowCam: (Updates 5mins!) click here for bigger version

Final Update – Its coming up to 9pm so this is our final update of our live snow coverage as we started this at 9pm last night! Its not quite been 24hrs non stop as we all took a break between 2am-6am!

Thanks to all who have helped out, directly, indirectly and getting in touch! Our site is here for you – so its great to see such interaction! Please keep getting in touch on this story – and anything else that could be of interest to Wrexhamites!

Snow is expected until around 11:30pm tonight, and then odd flurries here and there however the worst has past. Please take care overnight and in the morning, as the snow and ice won’t be going anywhere even though its ceasing to fall from the sky. Our normal updates will occur on Wrexham.com and via our always active @wrexham twitter account!

Also – Tina Bignall has confirmed the ‘BathSledge’ was true!

8:51pm Arriva buses have said “Wrexham update, buses are returning to the depot due to icy conditions on the roads”

8:47pm After our gritter queries below we have been given further details. It seems some gritters are having trouble with the icy conditions themselves however they are out and about and are striving to get through.

8:43pm James Robertson says “snow all over the a483 be careful!”

8:36pm We are not able to confirm this is not an urban myth for Wrexham, but we have had a report ‘friend of a friend’ style saying they are away of someone by Brynteg almost being run over by a bath earlier today! The bath was being used as a sledge it seems.

8:30pm More criticism of gritting, or lack of it, coming in with people saying they have not seen a gritter for hours or major routes are ‘white’. Rhian Kelly makes an observation about the main route around Wrexham saying “Just been on a483, it’s not seen a spec of grit for hours”.

8:28pm Ann Jones makes a point about creating problems for others “nice of the guy living on the mold road clearing his drive chucking the snow in the road”.

8:23pm Ste Hughe says “Reports of a car crash on Gutter Hill and Fennent Road in Rhos”

8:22pm Katie has sent this picture in of the roundabout ‘between top and bottom wimpey’ , on the New Road , Tanyfron to Brymbo. As she says, its ‘not looking its best’ !

8:05pm A483 slow going northbound between junctions five and six, which is Mold Rd and Gresford. Going up Gresford Hill on the bypass is slow going as well for obvious reasons!

7:57pm A few asking if gritters are still out and about – and the answer is yes, we have seen some around Wrexham tonight!

7:40pm Becky Johnson sends us another snow-road shot, this time it is Croesnewydd Road – going through the Redrow Estate. Like with most roads in town now, its white! Roads we can see are similar, but the glistening of the ice that is freezing on top is very visible.

7:20pm Geraint Jones has pointed out that grit and therefore gritters are less effective without traffic on the roads. Roads are currently very very quiet.

7:18pm Dave Moss sent us the below picture saying “Wrexham Road ,Brynteg , not good at all”:

7:04pm Below is the current snow radar image for North Wales and Wrexham. The snow is certainly lighter but ongoing, however there are patches of heavier snow still around. As avid readers will know by now, red is snow, and the redder it is the worse it is!

7pm Our radar update will hold a minute as Nicola Steele has send us this pic “roads look bad now. This was Ruthin road ten mins ago”:

6:54pm Natalie Brett has sent us this photo of her feet, saying “This bit of snow is up to my shins!” Natalie also said “Pentre Broughton (bryn mally park) roads at the moment are Horrendous!”

6:46pm It seems some roads have gone downhill during the latest wave of snow, with Karen Oliver saying “Roads in and around town centre are a disgrace, they’ve not been gritted and are covered in ice and snow. They are slippery and the roads to the maelor hospital are in same condition.” Joey Newnes was upset about the lack of grit on a road he travelled on saying “I just turned a corner going 10mph and it wasnt gritted, so just skidded across the road into the curb and bent the bottom arm!”.

6:37pm Tom Pitman and others have sent shots of previously gritted and ok roads now being covered in snow. Tom says “Gritters aren’t even out by mine, haven’t been for hours! This is a main road too, sort it out!” Natalie Hooson echoed these comments saying “The roads are absolutely awful now! Where’s the gritters?” This is a picture of Chester Rd, previously clear:

6:30pm Robert Stead has sent us this action shot of Benjamin Road saying “It’s very slippery” and as others are, warning people to be careful!

6:28pm Emma tells us “the council need to get the gritters out! All main roads are sparkling! Very dangerous”. Clare Griffiths adds “Very dangerous roads in New Broughton and Southsea. Cars are being abandoned at the bottom of Castle Hill going up to the Moss.”

6:24pm People starting to report issues around town – “Bradley dip has snow collecting on the road. Some people not slowing down!”

6:17pm Traffic flowing as well as can be expected in these conditions. A couple of reports of the odd bit of road rage and unsafe / inconsiderate driving about though. Roads that were previously ‘black’ after being cleared are turning white again due to less traffic and more snow.

6pm Marcin Mager sent the below picture of Penycae just now saying its snowing quite heavily near enough right on cue as predicted. Temperatures are around -3 to -4C outside so as the snow dies away this evening the biggest issue will be ice.

5:51pm Kevin Edwards warns “Anybody who is planning to drive from Llan to Chirk or vice versa be careful I have driven that route at 5.15pm and it very bad especially at the golf club bend. Take care out there people.”

5:41pm Micheal Corris has said “Eerie orange hue over Wrexham tonight. Snow covered streets reflecting all the street lights. Possibly one of the best things when it snows” We are currently checking road info – and all seems clear at the moment, not that there is loads of traffic about!

5:30pm A cracking ‘snow angel’ picture has been sent over from Lisa (Wright) Roberts who put her wedding dress on today to make the angel look complete! (Lisa got married in August !)

5:21pm Flick Hollowell has said “Road from Trevor to Llangollen very bad. The gritter/plough needs to come down here. Please be careful.”

5:20pm Who knew the new development off Salop Rd / Birch St could be so much fun – check out this ‘nice finish’ of some Wrexham sledging!

5:13pm Continuing our update from our trip around town, the top end of Ruthin Road is clear – however again pavements slippery – we saw the group on the right gingerly walking down!

5:09pm Steve has given us an update from the earlier report of an incident on Jefferys Rd saying “Looks like a car has spun and taken out a 6ft wall and lamppost on Jeffery’s Road”

5:08pm This picture of Court Road shows what most non-major routes around town look like, basically a sheet of ice at the moment! Snow has been compacted throughout the day by cars and is now freezing hard as compressed ice.

5:07pm The Ruabon Road roundabout has been gritted well, but venturing off piste out of the set lanes would mean instantly hitting ice.

5:06pm From Town Hill we walked through Brook Street which mirrors most routes in the town centre, with the main road clear but pavements quite dodgy!

5:05pm Walking through town its fair to say there are not that many people driving about. The pavements are pretty slippy and sludgy. Main roads are mostly clear but roads in residential areas are untreated and potentially hazardous. To start our photo journey here is Town Hill:

5:02pm Nathan Spencer has the first report of the snow freezing causing issues: “cars getting stuck going up stryt las hill in rhos. Snow on top of ice.”

5:01pm G Wills has been in touch to say “Incident at top of Jeffrey’s Road. Car crashed into wall, lampost down too.”

5pm Jan Roberts has sent us some pictures taken earlier this afternoon in Coedpoeth – below is one of Willowbank Road – Jan says it was taken “during a lull in the heavier snow, though it hasn’t really stopped up here. Now snow is becoming heavier again, though the Talwrn is clearer than it was an hour ago. Seen it worse, but take care – people driving too fast along here!”

4:50pm Our sports reporter James took these earlier around Bersham , with the river Clywedog meandering in the background ‘and a horse looking sad and lonely’. We are assured the horse is fine!

4:45pm We are please to say things are looking much better for the snowfall thats restarting – its looking its going to stay nice and light! There was concern earlier that it could be a heavy burst however most appears to have been dropped over the mountains before coming to Wrexham – below is the predicted view as of 7pm! We are off out around town now to see what things look like….

4:35pm Colin Prime has uploaded this picture from Ponciau park saying its “become snow play area for community” !

4:29pm Snowing again in Plas Coch, New Broughton, Rhostyllen and Ponciau! (Thanks to all reporting it!)

4:25pm Heading towards rush hour and peak travel time on the roads. Although the main road routes are pretty clear side streets and the like do not seem to be gritted. We would point people towards our update at 12:05pm sent by ‘JB’ who ended telling us his ‘top tips’ for driving in these conditions:
1- Clear the snow off all of your windows, roof and bonnet before you drive away.
2- Drive as smoothly and gently as possible, and DO NOT RUSH, especially when doing the school run.
3- Check out websites that teach you how to control a skidding car. It may save a life. (Links: The AA, Weather.com, BBC)

4:18pm Just to confirm – Wrexham Library will be closed from 5pm , not 7pm as before.

4:15pm We reported earlier on ‘panic buying’ of bread and milk, but it seems that Wrexham has had a ‘panic buy’ of wellies and sledges! We have seen people mention lack of wellies in shops after being sold out, and The Bike Shed sold out of sledges earlier on today!

4:05pm Anna in Bwlchgwyn has tweeted this picture of a ruler – showing over 30cm or 12 inches of snowfall in one place! We assume the ruler is not broken :)

4pm ‘Mokey’ encourages us all to do something nice – saying ‘check on elderly neighbours. I just brought mine some lasagne I had made!’

3:50pm More Snow Coming! We have been studying a few data sources and although Wrexham and the surrounding area is currently having a lull in snowfall we think it will return about 5:30-6pm. This next snow band will pass over from the west, and be reasonably strong. After this passes another lull will occur, then later this evening one final small band of snow will pass overhead.

3:35pm Tasha Griffiths has sent us this picture of some sledging fun:

3:30pm Not strictly a snow update – but early this morning while we were doing the school updates we had a few tweets & emails saying Wrexham, and Wrexham.com were on ITV1’s Daybreak – we have just located it here (watch from about 46mins onwards!) and it has a clip of this live update page.

3:16pm Snow eased off in town for now. Cambrian Orchestra has tweeted to say “We’ve had to cancel the concert tomorrow due to the weather! Please let everyone know!” Sam Evans has updated us saying “The Brymbo cric hill is clear and passable up to the new estates although the roads off are still snowbound !”

3:15pm Lisa Gough has emailed us showing some lunch break fun at Moneypenny in Wrexham. Lisa says (not us!) that its a picture of Lindzey Evans ‘aged 29 going on 10’ having fun making snow angels!

3pm Dave Gray of Rampant Dragon fame has emailed us some superb shots of the skyline of Wrexham with the rooftops covered in snow – here are the resized images with the larger image links below it for the full size ones if you want them!

Large Images – around 2meg each so be warned! – Peoples Market , High Street , St Giles.

2:45pm Jennifer Bird has sent these two pictures of the situation on Wrexham Industrial Estate – these being Ash Road North. Road’s clear!

2:30pm A look at the radar suggests we are about 2/3rds of the way through the main band of snow. Depending how much is dumped over the hill it is possible the afternoon ‘hit’ could be harder than this mornings. The Met Office has the red warning, and two snowflakes – which we assume is worse than one – for later on!

2:28pm A message from Catrin Pritchard, Headteach of Ysgol Min y Ddol who has said her school has had to close this afternoon due to the bad weather. She said “We would like to thank our fantastic parents and pupils for all their help this morning. Diolch yn fawr iawn.”

2:27pm We hadnt had a ruler-n-snow pic yet, but Terri Ritchie has corrected this mistake sending us this saying ’10cm of snow in Gwersyllt!’

2:20pm Just been told Ysgol Bodhyfryd are closing and asking parents to pick children up asap!

2:13pm Laura in Erddig sent us this picture of Jake and his snowman!

2:08pm The Council have said all football pitches maintained by them will be closed this weekend due to the weather conditions. Likewise, all community libraries will close at 4pm today. As it stands Wrexham Library will be open until 7pm.

2pm Further info coming in on conditions: Callum Edwards saying ‘still heavy snowfall in Rhiwabon, village looks fantastic but roads are awful !’ Paul Williams saying ” If they dont snow plough the hill up passed the Brymbo cric people wont be getting up it at teatime” and Sarah Irving says ” take care by the temporary lights on croesnewydd road. Colleague said its very icy and nearly came a cropper in the car.Not gritted”

1:43pm Perhaps the best story of the day so far! All the statistic students are in The Maelor School in Penley this afternoon, despite the roads around the school not being gritted and thus quite treacherous. The dedication to education is highlighted by one pupil, Rachel Woolley, who had to come from Ellesmere on her tractor!

1:33pm Our webcams above now update every 5ish minutes rather than hourly, so you can see how cold it is much quicker because that kind of thing Matters! The road sign – an AA one pointing to the Wynnstay carpark for those who care – is interesting snow-o-meter as it slowly gets covered!

1:25pm We have taken this snap of the A483 bypass looking towards the Gresford junction from the footbridge. The bridge itself is an ice-fest and very slippy!

1:18pm Wrexham FC’s away game tomorrow at Lincoln has been called off due to the bad weather, no real surprise there for anyone.

1:15pm The fun pictures keep coming, here is one of Ally Owen’s son and his dad sledging in Ruabon!

1:12pm Mandy has sent this picture of Rhostyllen:

1pm Amy Walters has sent this wonderful picture of Snow Angels being made in Ponciau! Laura Price has also added “snow not stopped in Llay since 7am snowball fights everywhere! Crash on Bradley dip earlier take care driving side roads are getting bad”

12:51 We nipped around the corner to Eagles Meadow and saw this sight – no its not a glacier in some arctic mountain range – its the fountain/waterfall/steps area all frozen up!

12:43 Just been outside and for those putting their own grit / salt down, try and brush the snow out of the way first and then grit/salt. That is apparently the best technique! Snow still coming down steadily.

12:31 ‘Anna’ just told us “I would seriously recommend not driving through Bwlchgwyn if possible – people driving on the pavement to get through…”

12:30 No its not a Lowry painting of Wrexham, its a picture taken by Sebastian Sordyl of people playing in the snow in Bellevue Park!

12:25 Mark Rodgers sent us this picture from the town centre earlier observing “No sign of panic borrowing at the library yet!” . Alex Jones has also been in touch saying a department store in town might close due to staffing levels being affected by the snow.

12:19 Philip Jones has emailed to say “No too bad in Penley however too many people and trucks driving too fast through the village !”

12:14 ‘Carl’ who has just travelled a fair distance gives this summing up of road conditions: “Had an early dart from work in Runcorn back home to Wrexham, M56/M53/A55 pretty clear but town side roads not to good!”

12:11 Interesting observation about the benefits, and hinderance of ‘road safety’ devices:

@wrexham just seen the snow plough in rhos. Roads need a plough to clear, but driver can't clear because of speed bumps every 10yds.

— andymoore (@andymoore81) January 18, 2013

12:10 Our first snow warfare alert of the day, Hayley Jones says “beware children throwing snowballs at cars on Jeffrey’s Road” !

12:07 The total number of schools now closed or partially closed stands at 52 – the councils list is viewable here – and we will keep updating as and when we are made aware of new closures either via the council or directly with schools. Rhosnesni and Clywedog pupils have been sent home from school , Acton Park School in Wrexham is closing at 1pm as is Ysgol Bodhyfryd.

12:05 Wrexham.com reader “JB” has emailed us his observations on snow drivers from this morning in Wrexham – worth a read and heeding what he has to say:
“This morning I watched a neighbour get into their car, which was covered in a thick layer of snow, switch on his wipers for a few ineffective sweeps, and drive off past the school at the end of our road. He couldn’t see very well, and drove up onto the kerb as he struggled down the road inviting an accident.

For some strange reason, when it snows there are people out there who decide to become racing drivers. We walk to school as it is so close to home, which normally gives me a chance to watch the chaos at the school gates, but this morning was just insane. I had to jump out of the way as a mum in her black people carrier flew past her planned stopping point and with eyes bulging in panic, and slid towards the kids and parents crossing further down. No harm was done, but the infuriating thing is, as I tutted and shook my head, another driver did exactly the same thing further up the road.

As the school-kids trudged through the snow in their colourful welly boots, the air rang with the sounds of wheel-spin and beeping horns. I always recommend fitting winter tyres at this time of year as they make a huge difference to the grip a car has in this weather, but even on normal tyres there are techniques to help you avoid losing control. Being gentle with the controls is easy and effective, as is looking ahead and leaving plenty of room to slow down and speed up. The most important technique however, is to invest in some common sense, and take your time.
Driving in the snow is dangerous, but from my observations this morning, some people make it more dangerous than it needs to be. With this in mind, here are my top 3 tips for driving safely:-
1- Clear the snow off all of your windows, roof and bonnet before you drive away.
2- Drive as smoothly and gently as possible, and DO NOT RUSH, especially when doing the school run.
3- Check out websites that teach you how to control a skidding car. It may save a life. (Links: The AA, Weather.com, BBC)

12:00 Midday update! Below is the latest snow radar image – with the red showing the snow. Temperatures are due to start dropping from the current -1C to around -3 to -4. With windchill that will feel around -9C. Going by the progress of the band of snow today we think we are roughly half way through the snowfall, with a heavier downfall around 3-4pm. If you are out and about please please take care!

11:55 Lynne Taylor tweeted us @wrexham to send us a picture saying “My dogs loving the #snow in Southsea – got around 3inches”:

11:45 Huw Selby has sent this picture in of Redwither Tower down the Industrial Estate showing the snowy conditions there:

11:41 Joanna Evans says parents can pick up their children from 1pm, St Giles school wrexham. Adults will be on site until 3.

11:40 Karl Latham has just been in touch to say ” lorry and a car involved in a scrape on the Wrexham road roundabout at the Chester end of the A383″

11:36 Glyndwr Uni have said ‘Students studying on Wrexham & Northop campuses due to submit coursework on Fri 18 Jan or Mon 21 Jan – deadlines extended until Tues 22 Jan’.

11:34 The Oswestry bus from Oswestry to Wrexham will only be running through the main roads. Wont be going through rhosymedre etc.

11:24 Council have said Ysgol Plas Coch has taken the decision to close due to the continued snowfall.

11:20am Nick Holland has told us Barkers Lane School closing at 12:30 today, and Leanne Wilkins says Rhostyllen school is also closing at 12:30.

11:18am The football club have tweeted to say “Training at Colliers Park has not surprisingly been cancelled today and the snow is only getting heavier in north Wales.” We were sent the following picture earlier from a footballer who went in, no orange balls on show today!

11:12 St Mary’s in Overton closed at 11am, and Glyndwr’s Wrexham and Northop campuses will be closed from midday. Apparently there is snow about or something…!

11:08 Sian Howells sent us several pictures saying ‘This is what it looks like in southsea plus the snow is still falling heavily’. We have opted for the ‘bin’ pic, as there is nothing better than a bin lid or gate to measure depth!

11:01 Clywedog tweeted us saying “This is correct. Details on the website. We tried to stay open, but had to consider the safety aspect. Apologies to all affected.”

11am As well as Clywedog closing , we have been messaged saying Johnstown Infants are shutting from twelve and apparently parents can collect children from then.

10:59 The school itself has now tweeted saying “Please see Wrexham or school website for further details of today’s forced closure. We do anticipate being open as usual on Monday.”

10:57am Hearing that Ysgol Clywedog is closing at 11am. All children being sent home.

10:56 Liam Pritt sent us this picture saying “never seen it so quiet, Beechley road, Hightown”.

10:51am Tracy Jones has just told us Wat’s Dyke School is closing at 12 noon.

10:50am Further snaps from our walk about – this one taken from Madeira Hill. There wasnt an earthquake, nor has Wrexham shifted on its axis, it was so cold it was literally a quick snap! You can click here for the massive version of this picture.

10:46am Andrew Edwards sent us this picture from Marchwiel saying “Side roads getting worse in housing estates”.

10:40am Daily Post reporter Gary Porter has tweeted this picture of the Racecourse pitch, earlier this morning footballer Louis Gray tweeted us a picture of the training ground covered in snow – apparently the footballers are in for training today despite conditions!

10:38 Arriva Buses Wales have started to update, saying Service 7/8 – not operating via Hillcrest, Trevenna Way, Moorland Avenue, Garner Road, Wynnstay Avenue and Devaway. Services 7 and 8 – not operating via Arenig road and Service 10 – not operating via Smithy Rd, Heol, Llewellyn Rd, Talwrn Rd, Willow Rad and Heol Caradoc Rd. Service 12 and 13 – not operating between Pentre Brought on Goalie Road and Brymbo Offal Street. Service 14 – not operating via Tanyfron. Services 32 and 33 – not operating via Llay village or Watts Dyke. Operating to Llay ring via Main Roads only.

10:36am To contrast the higher areas and outer parts of Wrexham with lots of snow, we had a wander through town – and this is a view of the High Street which is just cold , wet and icy rather than snowed under!

10:31am Great picture of Hannah and Harys looking out at the snow in Ponciau who are saying “Yipee” !

10:26am We have been having a walk about town and the snow is certainly coming down abit thicker but its certainly not a blizzard! Here is a snap of St Giles from Yorke St:

10:20am We have just been past St Josephs and this is the reason its closed:

10:16 @dadbannister via Twitter just tweeted us about ‘panic buying’ saying “people were panic buying yesterday, only 6 pint cartons of milk in Iceland and Tesco wiped out of bread. 1 person bought 11 loaves!” However Carolyn has said ‘just been to sainsbury’s at plas coch. refreshingly quiet and no panic buying in sight!’

10:15am The Council say all leisure and activity centres are open, and the police remind people “Please check on older neighbours, family members and friends during the cold snap”. This is the scene in Brymbo right now – sent in by Laura :

10:08am Marcin Mager has sent us this picture saying ‘Pont Yr Afon in Penycae right now’:

10:02am North Wales Police have said ‘A55 is clear at the moment. No report of problems.’

10am Natalie Brett sent in this snap of Pentre Broughton of the current levels of snow:

09:58 Pete Blakemore has told us ‘apparently EVERY loaf of bread in Asda was sold at 8pm last night so had to settle for ciabatta sandwiches for work today!’ It seems if there is one benefit of snow, it gets people eating posh bread. Beans on focaccia anyone?

09:55 Eifion from Tanyfron has sent us this picture of his street this morning – with the snow still falling!

09:50 This picture has been sent in of Garden Village shops, with a milk delivery at the Co-op! ‘Small wet snow here, wind swirling it. , under foot it is very slippery, people need to take care if walking on pavements.’ There is also a glimpse of Chester Road showing the conditions – and how clear it is.

09:47 Roads update – Paula Gwilliam has said ‘Bypass is okay at the moment leading to chester and gritters have just gone down the one side however driving not fun’ however Paul Kirkpatrick warns anyone using the A55 from the posthouse to M56 to take care as he says the outside lane has not been gritted. Tim Burnett comments about people driving like muppets – ‘It would help if you cleared your windows and lights and then switched them on’.

09:45 Another look at the radar, which has the ‘red’ indicating snowfall moving slowly from the west to the east. By our very non scientific reckoning we still have about 2/3rds of the snowfall yet to come…

09:37 Overnight we had reports of ‘panic buying’ in supermarkets in town, with people saying it was like Christmas Eve. So far we have been told that ASDA and Tesco are ‘stocked and quiet’ however Nick Hughes said Sainsburys had ‘people panic buying’ going for ‘produce, fresh meat, bread, milk & dried foods affected’

09:35 The Council’s website is back online.

09:34 Council updating saying ‘Cyfle PRU, Bwlchgwyn CP, Ysgol Cynddelw CP, Gwersyllt PRU, Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog CP, Park Community Primary School’ are now also closed.

09:33 Tina Edge has sent us this picture of Llangollen Rd in Acrefair as of ten minutes ago saying “Snow falling quite heavy now and roads are getting worse.” She also urges everyone to take care!

09:32 Megan Jones tells us “Smithy Road, Coedpoeth seriously needs gritting, just saw a car skid 2ft sideways into a pavement!”

09:30 Report of an Oswestry to Wrexham bus that goes via Wheston Rhyn being involved in an accident with a car. Will try and find out more.

09:29 As the ‘is snowmageddon coming’ fuss dies away we start to have some fun, this is the best picture so far – Dogs and Snowballs! Sent in by Leah from Tanyfron:

09:23 Beckii in Bradley has sent us this picture saying ‘snow not terrible in Bradley. Cars skidding on bends though!’

09:18 As we have a morning coffee and bacon sarnie we shiver looking at this picture emailed in by Sebastian Sordyl of Bellevue Park!

09:13 We have made this comparison of an hours snowfall in the town centre:

09:10 Pictures coming in thick and fast now, this is from Lindsey Morris saying ‘Snow in Ponciau near Rhos & Johnstown. Coming down quite heavily and sticking, windy as well”

09:03 Vicki Fletcher has sent us this picture of her garden in Rhosrobin which has only had a dusting of snow:

9am A recap of the full list of current school closures – Ysgol Maes Y Mynydd, Wrexham, St Mary’s Church in Wales, Ruabon, Ysgol Maes y Llan CP, Ruabon, Black Lane CP, Pentry Broughton, Minera Aided Primary, St Mary’s Aided Primary, Brymbo, Bryn Alyn High School, Gwersyllt, Ysgol Morgan Llwyd, Ysgol y Grango, Holt Cp Wrexham, Garth CP, Trevor, St Mary’s Aided, Brymbo, Darland High School, St Josephs Catholic & Anglican High School, St. Christopher’s School, Wrexham, Maes-Y-Mynydd, Pentre, Chirk, Maes-Y-Mynydd, Froncysyllte CP, Bryn Tabor

08:58 Wrexham Council have clarified and said Ysgol Clywedog is Open today.

08:57 Huw Selby has said “3 E Jones & Son buses parked up in 5 crosses, Minera. Probably stopping services.”

08:55 Nick Bell has said ‘Penycae school closed’.

08:54 A picture of Llay this morning:

08:52 Carolyn O’Leary just sent us this picture from Hope:

08:44 Hearing Ysgol Bryn Tabor is closed. Michael Griffiths got in touch saying “Blizzard conditions up here in Llandegla. Wind gusting hard enough to blow snow horizontally. Take care everyone.”

08:41 Joanna Kinch has suggested a ‘best snowman in Wrexham’ competition. We will treat the winner to a cuppa at Just Tea and Coffee with us to help them warm up for whoever sends us the best picture of their creation by the end of today!

08:38 St Giles infants and juniors are apparently still open.

08:30 Had reports of 5 buses stuck in Brymbo plus buses in Brynteg delayed.

08:28 Arriva have a generic update rather than specific information: “Due to heavy snow we are experiencing delays and cancellations on some routes”.

08:26We have our own website blip as several thousand people are hitting our website at once! Sorted now though :)

08:22 Rhosddu CP is open today.

08:20 ‘Thick’ snow now being reported in Mold and Chester.

08:19 Aaron Hughes says “just after Chirk roads getting bad snow collecting in middle of the road”

08:14 GHA Coaches are saying ’15 & 15A currently unable to serve any points further up than Brynteg due to the weather conditions.’ This is currently their only diversion.

08:13 Deborah Lush has been in touch to say “Llay bus service is struggling to get around the avenues all ready doubt they will be on for long”

08:12 The Met Office forecast is now showing heavier snow from 9am for Wrexham with temperatures plunging after midday.

08:07 Laura Fishburne in Brymbo says ‘snow is getting really bad’.

08:05 Council have been in touch to say “We’ll keep updates going on our social media channels for now” due to technical issues with the website so look for those if requiring specific info.

08:04 Eyton Primary School has decided to close.

8am To recap – there has been a further flurry of snow in the early hours however the main snowfall to hit the area has yet to pass over. Its making its way from the west right now.

07:58 Wrexham Council’s twitter awakens to tell us “Bin collections operating as normal in Wrexham unless the weather worsens” plus “We are currently experiencing technical difficulties with our website. Futher updates Weill appear here.”

07:54 Carolyn May from Clocaenog near Ruthin has told us its ‘snowing heavily’ by there and ‘is coming your way’. 07:51 Black Lane Primary school in Pentre Broughton have been in touch saying they have decided to close today as well.

07:51 Black Lane Primary school in Pentre Broughton have been in touch saying they have decided to close today as well.

07:48 Recap of the 14 schools officially closed before the Council site died: St Mary’s Aided, Brymbo. Bwlchgwyn CP. Cyfle Pupil Referral Unit. Garth CP. Gwersyllt – Support Centre PRU. Bryn Alyn High School, Gwersyllt. Holt CP. Maelor School, Penley. Ysgol y Grango, Rhos. Darland High School, Rossett. Ysgol Rhiwabon High School, Ruabon. Ysgol Morgan Llwyd. St Josephs Catholic & Anglican High School. St Mary’s Catholic Primary.

7:46am GHA Coaches saying that all of their buses have left their depot as normal – they cover North Wales and Cheshire.

07:45am Currently Wrexham Council’s twitter has not been updated for 10 hours, and their website is not responding when we and others try and visit it.

7:41am ‘Light dustings’ reported in Mold and Chester so far, and main routes between Wrexham and Chester ‘very clear’.

7:39am This is the current weather radar, red is snowfall, so there is lots to come:

7.32am Trend seems to be Secondary Schools closed, Primary Schools open. Only Rhosnesni bucking the trend for the Secondary Schools…

7.29am Both Bryn Alyn and St. Christopher’s have joined the growing list of schools closed today. St. Mary’s Primary School on Lea Road also closed.

7.20am Morgan Llwyd is CLOSED today. Please note, any schools stating they are ‘partially closed’ are referring to exams going ahead as scheduled. Check with your school directly if you have exams but safer to assume they will go ahead as planned.

7.15am Rhosnesni School open but advising caution. Acton & Borras Primary Schools also OPEN!

7.12am People reporting issues with the council website (may be falling over due to pressure from excitable kids!) as they try to find more info about their school. Check here for more updates as we get them…

7.05am Yale have announced they are closed to staff and students due to current snow conditions and threat of more on it’s way. Any scheduled exams will go ahead.

7.00am Expecting a decision on Yale College shortly but buses have left the depot. St. Joseph’s are the latest secondary school to announce they are closed however Maelor School Penley is open!

6.50am Predicted snowfall has not made it to Wrexham just yet! Schools having to make a difficult decision based on forecasts for the next couple of hours….

1:48am Carl Thornton has just sent us this picture of a late night gritter doing its stuff in Coedpoeth:

1am The weather radar is pushing back the ETA of the snow yet the Met Office still has a ‘red warning’ in place from 3am onwards. Due to this , we will continue our updates in the early morning!

00:43 The initial snow has now passed and the next wave, of the proper stuff, could be hitting Wrexham as late as 7-8am depending on winds. Louise Hopwood sent this late night snap from Gwynfryn:

00:10 – As there is a lull in the light snow Steph McIver has told us she has seen abandoned cars up in Minera already tonight. The perils of the dropping temperatures were also highlighted when she said she ‘slid down my driveway and into my wheely bin’ !

11:40pm Carl Thornton has sent this picture from Coedpoeth this evening, saying “This is Ruthin road thoroughly Coedpoeth and still people are speeding”:

11:21pm We have been trawling weather sites and commentary and have spotted one informed source who is doubting the Met Office’s predictions saying Wrexham could have ‘just’ around 2-5cm of snow tomorrow. That is still ‘just’ 1-2ish inches which could still create significant issues. By our reading of the weather radar the snow that is coming in could hit in the early morning, rather than the predicted overnight 3am timeframe.

10:21pm Second report of the night of possible ‘panic buying’ in town, as Laura Westwood told us “Popped in to Tesco in town on way home from gym at 8pm. Low stocks on bread and milk”. Earlier this evening we were told of low levels of bread and milk in ASDA.

9:44pm Further to our update about gritting and pointing people to the council’s page we were tweeted this:

@wrexham would be good if the council updated their own grittier page – the new link roads aren't even on it

— Mark Roberts (@markbob917) January 17, 2013

9:21pm Already had a few questions about ‘has Road x been gritted?’. The Council have said tonight “All routes will be gritted tonight and our crews will be on standby throughout the evening”. By routes the Council mean their classification system, which is 1,2 and 3. – You can click here and see the interactive gritting map on the council’s website which shows the ‘priority 1’ routes, and this page explains what priority 2 and 3’s are.

9:10pm No real snow sticking in town but higher up in Brymbo this is the scene tonight sent in by Nigel Griffiths:

9pm Thursday: Our live coverage of the forthcoming snow is starting. We will be collating and recording as much as we can about the situation out and about in Wrexham and the surrounding area. Any information you have, or fun pictures you have – please get in touch !

Yale College have said they are making a decision if to open tomorrow morning, however all scheduled exams are still on regardless. Glyndwr Uni students due to take exams tomorrow have a reprieve until the 25th of Jan.

The current forecast is that around midnight the temperatures will start dropping below zero, and they may not rise again above until Monday or Tuesday. Currently there is light snow, which is settling on higher ground (the red on the below map) and is melting on lower ground. Around 3am the band of rain (blue on the below map) will head in from the west and start the much reported snowfall. It is possible tomorrow we will not only see lots of snow, but gust of around 30mph and temperatures feeling like they a chilling -9C, or -3C without windchill.

The weather radar picture!

Here is the first ‘fun’ picture we have had sent in:

Louise Haggarty sent us this picture of the fun beginning tonight with the snow!

Get Involved: Email us info & pictures to [email protected], or use this webform or if you are on twitter get in touch via @wrexham or visit our Facebook page.