Storm Emma 2018 – where is the storm now, is it over and what’s the latest UK weather forecast?

WINTER reasserted its grip on the UK after blizzards swept in from the Atlantic courtesy of Storm Emma.

The wild weather system came in from Europe hot on the heels of the "Beast from the East" polar front which lashed Britain this week. Here's the latest.

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Where is Storm Emma and has it passed the UK?

Storm Emma clashed with the Beast from the East at the end of February, causing widespread disruption across the UK, but after days of chaos conditions are finally improving.

Forecasters issued red weather warnings of a danger to life as the storm's 70mph winds hit the existing polar vortex — bringing deadly snowdrifts and a -15C windchill.

The red alert passed, as have the amber weather warnings which were in place at the end of the week in Northern Ireland, across much of eastern Scotland and England and for a large area of the south-west.

However, yellow warnings for ice were issued for much of England on Sunday morning, remaining in place for Northern Ireland – and an alert for snow and ice for most of Scotland until Monday night.

Generally, the snow has given way to cloudy spells and rain showers for most of the UK today, although the north will remain cold, with the white stuff continuing to fall in Scotland, particularly the north-east.

Temperatures have improved since the biting cold earlier in the week – London is forecast highs of 10C – but there will still be a risk of ice during clearer spells, particularly further north.

However, the mercury shooting up has brought with it a fresh set of problems, leading to widespread flood alerts across the nation with thawing snow and wild coastal conditions threatening havoc.

It all comes after Storm Fionn officially hit Britain on January 16, leaving swathes of the country under deep snow cover following an intense -7C blast.

Before that Storm Eleanor hit southern Ireland on Tuesday, January 2, as it moved towards the UK.

Why are some UK storms given names?

Analysis has shown that naming storms makes people more aware of the severe weather and helps them prepare in advance.

So the Met Office and its Irish counterpart Met Eireann decided to follow the US system of giving girls and boys' names to tropical storms and hurricanes.

In the winter season of 2016/17, the names included Angus, Barbara, Conor and Doris.

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Surveys showed people were more aware of the threat and more likely to take action after hearing the name of a storm, rather than a forecast simply saying bad weather is on the way.

For example, 89 per cent of people said they were aware of the approaching Storm Doris – which wreaked havoc in February 2017 – and 94 per cent said warnings were useful.

The Met Office and Met Eireann's joint list of names for 2017/2018 includes Larry, Victor and Hector among the male choices, with Georgina, Maeve and Winifred among the female names.

The reason this one has been named Storm Emma is because that's the name given by the Portuguese met office where it originated - the UK met office take on the name allocated as it crosses international borders.

As in the US system, they follow in alphabetical order with alternating male and female names.

A male name, Angus, was first last year so this year the first was female, Aileen.