Should I Delay My Journey in Bad Weather?

If severe weather is forecast, the first question to ask is not how to drive in it but whether you need to go at all. Official guidance from across the UK is consistent: think about whether your journey is really necessary, and if it is not, delay it until the bad weather has passed¹. When there are severe weather warnings, only travel when absolutely necessary³.

If you decide the journey is essential, the second step is to check before you set off. Look at local and national forecasts and travel information, allow extra time, tell someone where you are going and when you expect to arrive, and charge your phone⁴. In strong winds, consider delaying until they clear⁷. In heavy downpours, consider delaying until the rain passes⁸.

The rest of this page sets out how to make that decision journey by journey, what changes for high-sided vehicles and for rain, snow and ice, and what to have with you if you do travel.

Delay your journey if the weather turns severe

The clearest advice is also the simplest. Think about delaying journeys that are not essential during severe weather¹⁰. Ask yourself if you can put off your journey until conditions improve, and if you are travelling by air or sea, check with the ferry company or airline for delays or cancellations¹¹. If heavy downpours are expected, consider delaying your journey until it clears⁸. If strong winds are expected, consider delaying your journey until it clears⁷.

This applies to public transport as much as to the car. Severe weather can disrupt buses, trains and ferries, so be prepared for delays, and take warm clothing, food and a hot drink in a flask if you have to wait¹². Fog can make driving conditions very poor and journey times longer, and passengers may be delayed or stranded at airports or ferry terminals, so always check the forecast before you travel¹³.

The decision is not all or nothing. Sometimes roads are more affected than the rail network, and on other occasions the opposite is true. You may be able to use a bus if the main roads are clear, or you may be able to work from home or do an online shop if travel is not advised¹⁴. Thinking through those alternatives before the weather arrives is the practical version of "is this journey essential".

Ask yourself first: is this journey essential?

Almost every official source starts with the same question. Ask yourself, is your journey really necessary¹? Consider before you set off whether your journey is essential, and if it is not, whether it can be delayed until after any bad weather has subsided². Ask yourself if your journey is absolutely essential before setting out in wintry weather¹⁵. Consider if your journey is essential, or can it wait until the weather improves¹⁶.

If the answer is that the journey is necessary, the guidance turns to planning. Ask whether the journey is necessary; if not, do not travel; if it is, plan your journey using the primary route road network and wait until roads have been gritted¹⁷. Think about whether your journey is necessary, plan to use main roads and check the gritting routes, check the live weather cameras, allow extra time, tell someone your plans, and check whether you need breakdown or recovery insurance¹⁸. In serious or prolonged weather conditions, consider how necessary your journey is¹⁹.

A simple way to make the decision is to sort the trip into one of three groups:

• Can wait: shopping, visiting, days out, routine appointments that can be rearranged. Delay until conditions improve¹¹.
• Needs planning: work, school runs, caring responsibilities. Check forecasts and travel information, plan a main-road route and allow extra time¹⁷.
• Cannot wait: emergencies and essential care. Travel, but tell someone your route and expected arrival time, and carry an emergency kit⁶.

If you are unsure which roads are treated and when, our guide to which roads are gritted and how councils decide explains how priority routes are chosen.

Check the latest weather and travel advice before you set off

Before any journey in doubtful weather, check local and national weather forecasts, listen to local radio for the latest weather and traffic updates, tell someone where you are going and how long the journey should take, give the car a winter check, and charge your mobile phone in case you need to make an emergency call⁴. Before travelling, check weather forecasts and travel information; if severe weather is expected, consider whether your journey is essential and allow extra time if you do need to travel⁵.

The Met Office is the reference point for forecasts and warnings. Check the weather forecast before you go out, and keep up to date with the latest forecasts on the Met Office website, app and social media channels¹³. Always check the weather on the Met Office website and visit the traffic information map before you head off, especially in winter²⁰. Check the forecast for your route and destination, not just for where you are starting⁹. If you want warnings sent to you, our guide to signing up for Met Office weather alerts walks through it, and Met Office weather warnings: yellow, amber and red explained sets out what each level means for travel.

Strong winds: when to wait until they clear

Strong winds deserve particular caution because they affect vehicles differently. If strong winds are expected, consider delaying your journey until it clears⁷. If your vehicle is susceptible to strong-wind conditions, consider delaying your journey until weather conditions improve if you can²¹. During a storm, do not drive unless your journey is really necessary²².

High-sided vehicles are most affected by windy weather, but strong gusts can also blow a car, cyclist, motorcyclist or horse rider off course, on open stretches of road exposed to strong cross winds and when passing bridges or gaps in the hedges²³. Drivers of high-sided vehicles, caravans and motorbikes are advised to take extra care because of the increased risk of vehicles being blown over in high wind²⁴. During strong winds there will be more restrictions for high-sided vehicles, so make sure you are aware of these restrictions before travelling¹⁵.

If you do travel, expect sudden gusts at any time, particularly on open stretches of road, when passing bridges or gaps in hedges, or when overtaking high-sided vehicles²⁴. Watch for debris in the road²⁵. Check the weather and any Met Office warnings before driving, and consider holding off the trip if high winds are forecast²⁶. If you are caught outside during high winds, wait until the storm is over before going to clean up any damage²⁵. For more on handling a vehicle in gusty conditions, see how to drive safely in strong winds, and for preparing your property, preparing your home and garden for high winds.

Heavy rain, snow and ice: when to hold back

Rain changes the decision in two ways: it reduces visibility and it makes the road surface slippery. If there is surface water on the road, or if visibility is poor, check whether you need to travel²⁷. Do not travel in heavy rainstorms unless absolutely necessary²⁸. If heavy downpours are expected, avoid starting your journey until it clears⁹.

If you go, adjust how you drive. Roads will be more slippery than usual in wet weather, so give yourself more time to react when approaching a hazard, and increase your following gap to at least four seconds from the moving traffic in front⁹. Our guide to driving in heavy rain and avoiding aquaplaning covers the detail.

Snow and ice bring the same question with a firmer answer. Consider if your journey is essential, or can it wait until the weather improves¹⁶. Ask whether the journey is necessary; if not, do not travel; if it is, plan your journey using the primary route road network and wait until roads have been gritted¹⁷. For the driving technique itself, see driving in snow and ice: staying safe on the road, and for stopping distances, how much longer are stopping distances on ice.

If you must travel in a storm, leave extra time

When the journey cannot wait, the guidance shifts from whether to how. Avoid non-essential travel; if you must travel, allow extra time²⁹. Stay at home unless you have to travel, because it is the safest place to be; if your journey is essential, plan your route and take extra time³⁰. If you need to travel during bad weather, allow extra time for your journey, and you may also need more time to walk safely to and from your bus stop³¹.

Plan ahead, allow extra time, tell someone your destination and when you plan to arrive, pack an emergency kit and charge your phone before you go, and have one or more emergency contact numbers on your phone or in your bag⁶. Give the car a winter check and charge your mobile phone in case of an emergency call⁴.

A sensible kit for a journey in bad weather, drawn from official travel advice, includes:

• Warm clothing, food and a hot drink in a flask, in case of delays¹²
• A charged mobile phone and emergency contact numbers on your phone or in your bag⁶
• Your destination and expected arrival time shared with someone before you leave⁶
• A winter check of the car before you set out⁴

If the worst happens and you stop moving, our guide to what to do if your car gets stuck in snow takes you through it, and car checks before winter is a checklist to work through before the season starts.

Where to get help and how the nations differ

The travel advice is broadly the same across the UK, but the organisations that issue it differ. In England, National Highways publishes guidance on travelling in severe weather, including strong winds and rain⁸. In Wales, Traffic Wales covers driving in strong winds, snow and ice, and heavy rain or floods⁸. In Scotland, Ready Scotland and Traffic Scotland publish storm, wind and winter travel advice, including a vehicle emergency kit list⁶. In Northern Ireland, nidirect carries the warning information and advice, including on driving in adverse weather conditions¹¹.

Whichever nation you are in, the same three steps apply: ask whether the journey is essential, check the forecast and travel information for your route, and if you must go, allow extra time and tell someone your plans¹. If conditions are forecast to be severe, the safest option is to stay at home unless you have to travel³⁰. For the wider picture of how warnings are issued and what they mean for your household, start with storms, snow and ice: a household guide, and for disruption to trains, buses and bridges, see trains, buses and bridge closures in bad weather.