Storm Bert - branded a "multi-hazard event" - is barrelling towards the UK and volition unleash dense rain, beardown winds and disruptive snow passim the weekend.
Several upwind warnings are successful place, including 2 uncommon amber alerts, arsenic the Met Office is acrophobic astir question disruption, powerfulness cuts and hazards presented by icy surfaces, particularly successful agrarian areas.
Snow is expected arsenic acold southbound arsenic the Welsh valleys, peculiarly astir Aberdare, but the heaviest volition beryllium aboriginal successful the greeting crossed Cumbria and Lancashire. Elsewhere, the heaviest of the rainfall is feared crossed the Isle of Man, Dumfries and Galloway and the Scottish Borders.
National Rail says assorted routes crossed England, Wales and Scotland volition beryllium affected by the weather, and immoderate lines whitethorn beryllium flooding owed to the thawing of snow, which besides fell earlier this week.
Met Office spokesperson Oli Claydon said Storm Bert was a "multi-hazard event". He said: "We're looking astatine beardown winds, immoderate precocious snowfall accumulation, dense rain, each successful assorted antithetic parts of the UK. So it's rather a analyzable upwind set-up for the weekend. Generally speaking, it's a precise unsettled play of upwind ahead."
Follow our unrecorded blog beneath for updates astir Storm Bert
07:38Zahra Khaliq
Christmas airy switch-ons cancelled
A fig of Christmas airy switch-ons person been, cancelled, portion others person been postponed oregon scaled backmost arsenic Storm Bert is expected to onshore today.
Among those cancelled are the Worcester lantern parade and the Bromsgrove Christmas airy switch-on, arsenic good arsenic St John's market. Other Christmas events being held successful Warwickshire and Staffordshire, including the Ironbridge lights switch-on, person been postponed.
07:31Zahra Khaliq
Brits told to stockpile 3 days’ worthy of food
Brits person been urged to banal up connected essentials up of the tempest arsenic the state braces for disruptive snow, 70mph winds and dense rain. Many person been warned they should expect powerfulness cuts – with immoderate agrarian communities feared to go wholly chopped disconnected implicit the coming days.
British Gas customers were reportedly recommended to stockpile 3 days’ worthy of nutrient and h2o successful the lawsuit that the upwind disrupts question and power. The vigor supplier besides urged Brits to support telephone chargers, torches and batteries nearby.
07:20Zahra Khaliq
When and wherever Storm Bert volition hit
Brits person been warned to brace for a play of chaos arsenic Storm Bert brings "disruptive" snow, dense rainfall and beardown winds to respective UK towns and cities.
The bulk of the state is facing astatine slightest 1 weather informing implicit the weekend, with Scotland and bluish England acceptable to carnivore the brunt of the storm. According to the Met Office, Storm Bert volition descend connected Saturday - bringing dense rainfall and snow, unneurotic with beardown winds to ample swathes of the country.
It comes arsenic a fig of schools person been forced to adjacent this week arsenic frosty and icy conditions situation towns and cities successful the northbound up of the chaos. Weather warnings are present successful spot each time until Sunday.
See afloat database of 14 UK regions to beryllium deed by Storm Bert - and when
06:48Bradley Jolly
Met Office says snowfall volition accumulate 'thick and fast'
Met Office meteorologist Aidan McGivern said the storm's accomplishment was pursuing a "relatively quiet" nighttime connected Friday with temperatures astatine astir minus 4C crossed parts of Scotland and minus 1C successful eastbound England.
"We'll spot 2 to 4 hours of dense snowfall crossed parts of bluish England and Scotland during Saturday morning," Mr McGivern said.
"This snowfall volition accumulate heavy and fast, with 5 to 10cm astatine little levels and arsenic overmuch arsenic 20 to 40cm implicit hills accompanied by beardown winds.
"You tin expect blizzards implicit hills crossed bluish England and Scotland, atrocious conditions for travelling and going implicit the hills and besides the hazard of powerfulness interruptions due to the fact that of snowfall physique up connected powerfulness lines.
"So each successful all, a aggregate hazard lawsuit arsenic we spell into Saturday morning."
He said temperatures volition emergence rapidly arsenic the tempest brings with it milder aerial from the Atlantic, resulting successful a "rapid thaw" by the afternoon.
06:38Bradley Jolly
All canine owners 'must bash 1 thing' arsenic Storm Bert brings 16 inches of snowfall to UK
There's 1 happening each canine owners indispensable bash arsenic Storm Bert brings dense snowfall to the UK this weekend.
The Met Office has been forced to contented respective upwind warnings. Today, snow warnings screen Northern Ireland, Scotland, bluish parts of England and the Midlands. There's besides an amber warning successful spot crossed a chunk of agrarian Scotland, wherever the Met Office says 40cm (roughly 16in) of snowfall could travel down connected higher ground.
Lower crushed crossed the state could spot betwixt 5cm to 10cm of snowfall connected Saturday. And if you program connected taking your dog for a locomotion successful the crisp, wintry weather, there's thing you request to beryllium doing to support them safe.
TikTok idiosyncratic Alex (@nuggypup) documents her beingness with pooch Nugget connected the societal media app. In 1 video, she tells her followers: "If you're walking your canine retired successful the snowfall today, marque definite you bash this 1 happening erstwhile you get home."
All canine owners 'must bash 1 thing' arsenic Storm Bert brings 16 inches of snowfall to UK
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PA)06:02Bradley Jolly
Storm Bert already causes question disruption
In Yorkshire, the A628 remained closed overnight successful some directions betwixt the A616 Hollingworth and the A57 Flouch owed to snow, National Highways announced. The A66 Trans-Pennine way was closed betwixt the A6 and the M6 (J40).
Perth and Kinross Council cancelled its yearly Perth Christmas lights switch-on lawsuit implicit information and question concerns.
Ferry relation CalMac - which serves the westbound seashore of Scotland - has cancelled respective sailings connected Saturday with disruption expected connected galore different services.
P&O Ferries said it had cancelled the 4am sailing betwixt Larne successful Northern Ireland and Cairnryan successful Scotland's southbound westbound connected Saturday.
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PeterWilliams/WALES NEWS SERVICE)05:22Bradley Jolly
UK airports not anticipating disruption arsenic it stands
UK airports are not anticipating disruption arsenic yet.
A spokesperson for Birmingham Airport said: "Whilst we are not anticipating disruption astatine this time... we volition proceed to support a adjacent oculus connected the situation, arsenic Storm Bert moves in."
Manchester Airport said "we're expecting atrocious upwind but aren't anticipating immoderate disruption" portion Newcastle Airport said it volition beryllium operating arsenic mean overnight with teams "fully prepared to respond should conditions deteriorate".
04:42KEY EVENT
ScotRail withdraws services owed to Storm Bert
In Scotland, determination volition beryllium velocity restrictions connected the West Highland Line, Highland Mainline, Stranraer line, Glasgow South Western Line, Far North Line, and West Coast Mainline betwixt Carstairs and the border.
ScotRail has withdrawn services from Inverness to Elgin, Aberdeen to Inverurie, and Glasgow Queen Street to Oban portion trains from Glasgow Central to Carlisle volition terminate astatine Dumfries.
South Western Rail (SWR) asked passengers to lone question westbound of Basingstoke if their journeys are essential.
SWR announced services betwixt Exeter and London Waterloo volition commencement and decorativeness astatine Basingstoke, that travel times volition beryllium longer betwixt Salisbury and Exeter and betwixt Bournemouth and Weymouth owed to velocity restrictions, and services crossed its web volition commencement aboriginal than accustomed connected Sunday and Monday due to the fact that of information inspections.
TransPennine Express "strongly" urged customers not to question northbound of Carlisle connected Saturday portion Avanti West Coast advised passengers not to question northbound of Preston - including Lancaster, Oxenholme, Penrith, Carlisle, Glasgow and Edinburgh.
04:12Niamh Kirk
How Met Office names UK storms and what the adjacent volition beryllium called
Almost each of the UK is bracing for astatine slightest 1 weather informing this play with the accomplishment of Storm Bert is acceptable beryllium a a 'disruptive' one.
The Met Office has warned Storm Bert volition clang successful connected Saturday bringing dense rainfall and snowfall unneurotic with beardown winds to astir parts of the country. As radical are warned of a play of 'chaos' and tons of rainfall snowfall and wind, it doesn't look similar the blisteringly acold upwind volition easiness up immoderate clip soon. But however did this tempest get its name?
Naming storms has been a process that started successful the US backmost successful 1950 arsenic it was a mode to marque it easier for radical to "engage with upwind forecasts". It was argued naming storms and different upwind events allowed radical to comparison them, sermon and travel advice. The Met Office past followed suit and believed that it's "easier to travel the advancement of a tempest connected TV, radio, oregon societal media if it has a name" according to BBC.
How Met Office names UK storms and what the adjacent volition beryllium called
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PA)03:34Ewan Gleadow
Storm Bert informing arsenic adept shares 1 happening you indispensable bash earlier upwind chaos hits
An adept has fixed retired important proposal to Brits arsenic Storm Bert looms, bringing with it a slew of yellowish and amber weather alerts starting today.
The Met Office has confirmed the upwind warnings and added determination is the imaginable for beardown winds, disruptive snow, and torrential rain.
John Swindle from Chase Roof Inspections has urged the nationalist to instrumentality contiguous enactment to safeguard their homes against the impending stormy weather, highlighting 1 cardinal cheque that should apical their to-do list.
He warned: "Storms similar Bert tin wreak havoc connected properties, but with immoderate elemental precautions, homeowners tin minimise the hazard of damage. Your extortion is your archetypal enactment of defence against wind, rain, and snow, truthful ensuring it's successful bully information is essential."
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PA)03:08Bradley Jolly
RAC Breakdown warns drivers to instrumentality care
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."
01:39KEY EVENT
Avanti West Coast says 'don't question northbound of Preston successful Lancashire'
Avanti West Coast advised customers not to question northbound of Preston - including Lancaster, Oxenholme, Penrith, Carlisle, Glasgow and Edinburgh - connected Saturday due to the fact that of the expected disruption from Storm Bert.
"If you were owed to question connected this route, your existing summons tin present beryllium utilized anytime from Friday November 22 to the extremity of work connected Monday November 25," the bid institution said.
It warned determination was inactive a hazard of disruption elsewhere successful the UK and said if trains were delayed oregon cancelled due to the fact that of the tempest and customers abandoned their journeys arsenic a result, they could assertion a fee-free refund from wherever they bought their tickets.
If passengers continued their journeys but were delayed by 15 minutes oregon more, they could assertion Delay Repay compensation.
00:52Bradley Jolly
'There could beryllium immoderate beauteous tricky conditions,' the Met Office warns
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."
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PA)00:02KEY EVENT
What upwind warnings concerning Storm Bert are successful place?
Storm Bert 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.
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Met Office)