People in Scotland and northern England have been told to beware the impact of high winds, snow and ice this weekend after the Met Office issued weather warnings covering most of the UK.
The weather is set to remain unsettled over the next few days, after Storm Gertrude battered the country on Friday with gusts of up to 144mph.
Forecasters said a cold front from Arctic Canada would bring blizzards and snow drifts overnight in Scotland, leading to possible ice formation, and lightning strikes could disrupt power supplies.
Showers were expected to continue across the north of the country throughout Saturday, with the north-west of the central belt of Scotland likely to be worst affected. Rain, sleet and hill snow would spread as far south as the West Midlands.
Morning! Several warnings still in place today. Please check warnings for your area: https://t.co/PKJZIZwmY7 ^Angie pic.twitter.com/umzqyVb0T4
— Met Office (@metoffice) January 30, 2016
Met Office amber “be prepared” warnings for wind and snow remained in place for most of Scotland.
“Five to 10cm snowfall is likely to accumulate quite widely, with over 15cm in places above 300 metres,” the office said in a statement.
“Ice is also likely to form on untreated surfaces. In addition, gusts of 50-60mph are likely at times, occasionally 70mph across the far north and west of the amber area and over mountains. This will lead to blizzard conditions at times and drifting of snow.
“Power supplies may be disrupted by ice accretion and also by lightning strikes, with hail also likely.”
In Northern Ireland, Orkney and Shetland, and the north of England, the snow and wind warnings were on the lower yellow “be aware” level, although the Met Office said people should expect “frequent wintry showers, heavy at times.
“Widespread gales are also expected with some gusts of 70mph across northern and western Scotland at times. Here, drifting of snow is likely in strong to gale-force winds with local blizzard conditions, particularly on high ground.”
It said people should be aware of difficult driving conditions and travel disruptions.
Storm Gertrude’s 100mph-plus winds caused power cuts to thousands of homes and travel disruption, along with more unusual hazards, including flying trampolines and a rabbit blown on to a roof.
Scotland and Northern Ireland were particularly affected as the storm swept in from the Atlantic, with wind gusts reaching 144mph in the Cairngorms and the Met Office issuing a rare “red” weather warning for Shetland, requiring locals to take action.
Gales in Northern Ireland reached 70mph, bringing down trees, closing roads and damaging power lines, which left 5,000 households without electricity.
All schools in the northern and Western Isles were closed and train and ferry services were widely reduced in Scotland.
