Storm Bert will strike from Saturday with Britons told to brace for heavy rain, 70mph winds and snow blizzards after a week of snow and sub-zero temperatures.
The Met Office issued snow, ice, wind and rain warnings for all of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as well as for the North, Midlands and South West of England.
The most serious is an amber alert for 1ft 4in (40cm) of snow in northern Scotland on Saturday from 7am until 5pm, which warns of rural communities becoming cut off, impassable pavements and road delays ‘stranding some vehicles and passengers’.
Forecasters also imposed a yellow rain and snow warning for Scotland and northern England down to the East Midlands from 4am on Saturday to 9am on Sunday. This warns of up to 8in (20cm) of snow on higher ground and up to 1.6in (40mm) of rain.
A 70mph wind warning was issued for coastal areas of Scotland, Wales, northern England and Northern Ireland, running from 5am on Saturday until 7pm on Sunday.
And a separate yellow warning for up to 5in (150mm) of rain was imposed for most of Wales and parts of Devon and Cornwall from 6am on Saturday until 6am on Sunday.
The second named storm of the season will follow snow and ice causing further problems for commuters across the UK today as weather warnings remain in place.
Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Dan Holley said: ‘Storm Bert marks a shift to much milder air and wintry hazards will gradually diminish through the weekend.
‘But heavy snowfall is expected across parts of northern England and Scotland for a time on Saturday, especially over higher ground, and warnings are in place.
‘Heavy rain through Saturday and Sunday, especially in southern and western parts of the UK, will also bring impacts for some with a number of warnings in place.
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‘We expect 50mm to 75mm of rainfall quite widely within the warning areas, but in excess of 100mm is possible over high ground in parts of Wales and South West England.’
He added that ‘rapid melting of lying snow over the weekend and periods of strong winds’ could ‘bring the potential for travel disruption as well as flooding for some’.
The North, Midlands and East of England are already under an amber cold health alert issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) amid the current cold snap.
This warns of ‘significant impacts across health and social care services’, including a ‘rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions’.
Unsettled weather is likely to continue into next week, as the country faces strong winds and showers. Temperatures will be around average, but strong winds will make it feel cold.
The Met Office added: ‘Looking further ahead there are indications we could see a brief return to colder conditions with wintry showers for a time, especially in the north, before it becomes unsettled and milder again at the end of next week.’
It comes as a yellow weather warning for frequent snow showers, possible hail and icy conditions was in place for much of north and west Scotland until midday today, with the Met Office warning of difficult travelling conditions.
Between 2cm and 5cm (up to 2in) of snow was expected widely and it could reach 10cm in some parts of the north-west mainland, with higher ground seeing 15cm to 20cm (up to 7.8in), the Met Office said.
A yellow warning for ice with a ‘few sleet or snow showers’ also remained in effect until 10am covering most of Scotland, the East and West Midlands, the East, north-east and north-west of England, Northern Ireland, Wales and Yorkshire.
Parts of south-west England including Plymouth and Exeter also received a yellow warning for snow between 5am and 3pm today, 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 this morning and into the afternoon.
But she added that a ‘severe frost’ was also likely before more ‘bitterly cold’ temperatures this evening.
More than 100 schools or nurseries were closed in Scotland yesterday because of the weather, with 52 shut in the Highland Council area, 51 in Aberdeenshire, 11 in Moray and two in Shetland.
Insurance and roadside assistance company RAC said drivers were suddenly facing ‘some of the worst road conditions we’ve seen all year’ and that a sharp rise in vehicle breakdowns was reported yesterday morning as drivers’ batteries failed.
The AA predicted ‘a major increase in (its) workload’ due to sub-zero temperatures, snow and ice, and urged drivers to check forecasts before travelling and to do so with ‘extreme caution’ in the hardest-hit areas.
RAC Breakdown spokeswoman Alice Simpson said: ‘The first taste of winter means drivers are suddenly contending with the some of the worst road conditions we’ve seen all year.
‘With freezing temperatures already causing disruption in the east and north of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and snow showers now affecting regions further south, we advise motorists to plan well as ice forms on untreated surfaces.’