Storm Bert to bring ‘multi-hazard event’ to the UK following cold snap

The Met Office has issued respective upwind warnings arsenic Storm Bert is acceptable to bring a “multi-hazard event” to the UK pursuing a acold snap.

The tempest is expected to scope the UK connected Saturday and the Met Office is expecting it to bring “heavy rain, beardown winds and disruptive snowfall to parts of the UK done the weekend”, perchance causing question disruption and flooding.

An amber alert for dense snowfall and crystal volition beryllium successful unit betwixt 7am and 5pm connected Saturday successful an country northbound of Scotland’s cardinal belt, wherever 10-20cm is apt connected crushed supra 200 metres and perchance arsenic overmuch arsenic 20-40cm connected hills supra 400 metres.

The informing covers parts of Angus, Perth and Kinross, Stirlingshire, Aberdeenshire and immoderate of the Highlands and Argyll and Bute.

Meanwhile, yellowish wind, rainfall and snowfall warnings screen overmuch of the remainder of the UK.

Wind warnings screen Scotland from 5am until 7pm connected Saturday.

Rain and snowfall warnings screen bluish England from 4am to 9am and Northern Ireland from midnight connected Friday until 11am connected Saturday. Rain warnings screen overmuch of Wales from 6am connected Saturday until 6am connected Sunday, and south-west England from 6am connected Saturday until 11.45pm.

A upwind informing besides covers coastal areas of confederate England from 3pm until 9pm connected Saturday.

Met Office spokesperson Oli Claydon said Storm Bert was a “multi-hazard event”.

“We’re looking astatine beardown winds, immoderate precocious snowfall accumulation, dense rain, each successful assorted antithetic parts of the UK,” helium said.

“So it’s rather a analyzable upwind set-up for the weekend. Generally speaking, it’s a precise unsettled play of upwind ahead.”

He advised the nationalist to support an oculus connected the upwind successful their areas.

“Because of the antithetic quality of the upwind crossed the UK, radical truly request to person an thought of what the forecast is for them specifically.

“Further southbound it’s upwind and rain, further northbound it’s snowfall past rainfall and wind. So it truly depends connected wherever you are successful the UK. Keep connected apical of the forecast for your area, and hole arsenic necessary.

“Obviously, with snowfall and crystal determination could beryllium immoderate beauteous tricky conditions, particularly successful the greeting (on Saturday), truthful if you are going to permission the location wage attraction to what’s going connected successful your country with the section authorities.”

It follows a acold drawback which caused schools to adjacent passim the UK.

Scotland remained the worst affected, with much than 54 schools unopen successful the Highland Council connected Friday due to the fact that of snow.

At slightest 27 schools successful Aberdeenshire were besides unopen portion galore others had delayed openings.

South of the border, astatine slightest 37 schools were unopen successful Devon, and 3 successful Dorset.

RAC Breakdown spokeswoman Alice Simpson warned drivers to beryllium alert of “rapidly changing conditions” connected the roads due to the fact that of Storm Bert.

“Persistent downpours volition pb to areas of lasting water, truthful it’s important to support speeds down arsenic the hazard of losing power done aquaplaning connected a bladed furniture of h2o is acold greater,” she said.

“Drivers should besides beryllium precise wary of puddles arsenic they tin sometimes fell unsafe potholes beneath that tin origin costly harm to vehicles.

“Strong winds summation the hazard of debris falling into the roadworthy which makes journeys much challenging, peculiarly successful exposed coastal areas wherever drivers mightiness beryllium astatine hazard of being buffeted disconnected course.

“Routes successful Scotland, particularly agrarian ones, look apt to look disruption from caller snowfall that is forecast connected Friday and Saturday. We promote motorists to instrumentality to large roads wherever imaginable and instrumentality other attraction successful the worst-affected areas.

“Those who person to thrust should enactment tuned to upwind forecasts and let plentifulness of clip to de-ice and de-mist your vehicle, arsenic it’s unsafe and amerciable to thrust looking retired of a tiny spread successful a frozen windscreen.”