Storm Bert to bring up to 15 INCHES of snow, 70mph wind & downpours this weekend as amber warning for ice issued

STORM Bert is set to bring up to 15 inches of snow, 70mph winds and downpours this weekend as an amber warning is issued.

As arctic conditions persist across the UK, wintry weather will continue to batter the country as the storm arrives, said the Met Office.

An amber warning has this afternoon been put in place across part of Scotland for 10 hours on Saturday, with power cuts a possibility and injuries "likely" on icy surfaces.

While yellow warnings, including for rain, are in place from today until Sunday night.

The Met Office said in a full statement: "Storm Bert has been named and is forecast to bring heavy rain, strong winds and disruptive snow to parts of the UK through the weekend."

The second named storm of the season will gradually descend onto the UK tomorrow before moving eastwards.

On Saturday, Storm Bert will bring heavy snow, wind gusts of 60-70mph in some areas and heavy rain in western parts of the country.

It follows days of sub-zero temperatures that saw schools shut their doors and commuters facing travel chaos on the roads and rail.

Bone-chilling temperatures and icy conditions led to warnings vehicles could be stranded, power cuts may occur and rural areas could be cut off.

The yellow warnings mean frequent snow showers, possible hail and icy conditions are expected to be in force.

The warnings cover much of north and west Scotland until midday, with the Met Office warning of difficult travelling conditions.

Between 2cm and 5cm (up to 2inches) of snow is expected widely and it could reach 10cm in some parts of the north-west mainland, the Met Office warned.

Higher ground seeing 15cm to 20cm (up to 7.8ins), it added.

The Met Office warning said: "Keep yourself and your family safe when it is icy.

"Plan to leave the house at least five minutes earlier than normal to reduce your risk of accidents, slips, and falls. If making a journey on foot, try to use pavements along main roads which are likely to be less slippery.

"Similarly, if cycling, try and stick to main roads which are more likely to have been treated."

Meanwhile, a fresh wave of weather warnings has been issued by the Met Office.

The national forecaster has issued a yellow alert covering 16 regions of Britain, stretching from Orkney and Shetland all the way down to the South East of England.

The warnings are in place for a total of 24 hours across different parts of the country, starting at midday today and lasting until 12pm on Friday.

Not all areas are impacted for the entire 24 hours, but the likes of the Scottish Highlands will be worst hit by the onslaught of wintry weather.

Parts of south-west England including Plymouth and Exeter have also received a yellow warning for snow between 5am and 3pm on Thursday, with 5cm to 10cm predicted in higher parts of Dartmoor.

Met Office chief meteorologist Matthew Lehnert said: "A northerly airflow will continue to feed snow showers into Scotland over the next few days, with this reaching lower levels at times and bringing the potential for some travel disruption.

"Overnight temperatures will drop below zero fairly widely over the next few days, which has resulted in some ice warnings, with further warnings likely through this week.

"On Thursday, a mixture of snow, sleet and rain is likely to affect the southwest which could potentially bring disruption. It's likely high ground in the area will see snow, with a mixture of conditions likely at lower levels. 2-5cm of snow is possible in places at lower levels, with around 10cm possible over higher parts of Dartmoor."

Met Office meteorologist Clare Nasir said there would be brighter skies outside the warnings areas across the country on Thursday morning and into the afternoon

But she added that a "severe frost" was also likely before more "bitterly cold" temperatures on Thursday evening.

It comes after new yellow warnings for rain were also published from Saturday to Sunday morning in south-west England and Wales.

Two warnings are in force from 6am on Saturday and will expire on 6am Sunday.

There was already a yellow warning for heavy snow on Saturday followed by a "rapid thaw" and rain on Saturday night in north-east and north-west England, the West Midlands, Yorkshire, and much of Scotland.

TRAVEL DISRUPTION

Met Office chief meteorologist Matthew Lehnert said: “A northerly airflow will continue to feed snow showers into Scotland over the next few days, with this reaching lower levels at times and bringing the potential for some travel disruption.

“Overnight temperatures will drop below zero fairly widely over the next few days, which has resulted in some ice warnings, with further warnings likely through this week.

“On Thursday, a mixture of snow, sleet and rain is likely to affect the southwest which could potentially bring disruption.

"It’s likely high ground in the area will see snow, with a mixture of conditions likely at lower levels. 2-5cm of snow is possible in places at lower levels, with around 10cm possible over higher parts of Dartmoor.”

Commuters can expect more travel chaos with National Rail warning of four days of disruption as heavy snow is expected to continue falling over the weekend.

The deluge is expected on Saturday followed by a rapid thaw and rain in north-east and north-west England, the West Midlands, Yorkshire, and much of Scotland.

A yellow rain and snow warning was issued between 4am on Saturday and 9am on Sunday with the prospect of a danger to life due to flooding.

“This will feel like the first taste of winter for many, with the snow and ice risks layered on top,” Met Office spokesperson Stephen Dixon said.

More than 100 schools or nurseries were closed in Scotland on Wednesday because of the weather, with 52 shut in the Highland Council area, 51 in Aberdeenshire, 11 in Moray and two in Shetland.