The Met Office has issued several weather warnings as Storm Bert is set to bring a “multi-hazard event” to the UK following a cold snap.
The storm is expected to reach the UK on Saturday and the Met Office is expecting it to bring “heavy rain, strong winds and disruptive snow to parts of the UK through the weekend”, potentially causing travel disruption and flooding.
A number of weather warnings are in place with a yellow warning for rain and snow valid from 00:00 on Saturday through to 11am.
A second yellow warning for wind is also in place across Northern Ireland from 5am to 7pm on Saturday.
A Met Office spokesperson said: “Outbreaks of rain on Friday night and into Saturday morning may be preceded by a spell of snow for a time, especially on high ground in northern and western areas. Exactly where snow falls will depend quite heavily on both elevation and the intensity of precipitation, with any snow accumulations at low levels likely small and fairly short-lived.
(Image: Met Office)
“However, there is the chance of temporary accumulations of 5-10 cm on ground typically above 150m and perhaps as much as 10-20 cm over mountain tops. Any snow will quickly revert to rain on Saturday morning, with rain accumulations of 20-30 mm likely fairly widely, and perhaps as much as 40-60 mm on more exposed hills. This, in conjunction with a rapid thaw of any lying snow, may cause some surface water and river flooding.”
They continued: “A period of strong southeasterly winds is likely for a time on Saturday, with peak gusts of 50-60 mph in many parts of the warning area, but 60-70 mph in some coastal areas and also locally to the lee (northwest) of high ground, and perhaps in excess of 70 mph along some exposed coasts of Northern Ireland and western Scotland.”
Met Office spokesman Oli Claydon said Storm Bert was a “multi-hazard event”.
“We’re looking at strong winds, some high snowfall accumulation, heavy rain, all in various different parts of the UK,” he said.
“So it’s quite a complex weather set-up for the weekend. Generally speaking, it’s a very unsettled weekend of weather ahead.”
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