An amber weather warning for snow and ice for most of Wales has been issued for this weekend by the Met Office.

It is the second highest level of warning and is in effect from 18:00 GMT on Saturday until midday on Sunday, with warnings of travel disruption.

The counties affected are Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire Neath Port Talbot, Newport, Pembrokeshire, Powys, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Swansea, Torfaen, Vale of Glamorgan and Wrexham.

There is also a yellow snow and ice warning for the whole of Wales from midday on Saturday until the end of Sunday.

The Met Office warns that:

• Power cuts may occur, which could affect other services, such as mobile phone coverage
• Travel delays on roads are likely, stranding some vehicles and passengers
• Some road closures and longer journey times possible
• Some delays and cancellations to bus, rail and air travel are likely
• Rural communities could become cut off
• Untreated pavements and cycle paths likely to be impassable

Cardiff council urged drivers to be careful because of the “big freeze” and said it would be using up to 60 tonnes of grit each night to keep the city moving.

The roads that are being prioritised are all A roads and priority bus routes, the majority of B roads, some C roads and other non-classified roads

It said there were also 400 salt bins across the city for residents to use.

Welsh Water said it was distributing free winter lagging kits – insulation and a tap jacket – to prevent pipes freezing and bursting.

The company also suggested residents find their stop tap in case pipes burst so the water can be turned off to minimise damage.

It also said clearing gutters can prevent excess water entering homes, and fixing dripping taps can decrease the risk of frozen pipes.

Empty buildings are at particular risk, it said, and suggested stopping the tap and draining the system so there is no water to freeze.

Natural Resources Wales said it has closed its visitor centres at Coed y Brenin, Bwlch Nant Yr Arian and Ynyslas on Saturday and Sunday as a result of the weather.

Public Health Wales has issued cold weather advice and guidance ahead of the weekend weather warnings on its social media channels.

Llio Jones, from Age Cymru, encouraged neighbours to keep an eye on the elderly.