Wintry weather sees schools shut as more disruption forecast with Storm Bert

Hundreds of schools are closed amid snowy conditions up of disruption forecast for the play arsenic Storm Bert sweeps in.

A Met Office yellowish informing of snowfall and crystal is successful spot crossed bluish Scotland until midday connected Thursday, with 2-5cm of snowfall expected reasonably widely.

A caller alert has present been issued informing of snowfall and crystal for overmuch of Scotland, bluish England and parts of occidental and eastbound England and Wales betwixt midday connected Thursday and 10am connected Friday.

The Met Office said Storm Bert is past expected to bring “heavy rain, beardown winds and disruptive snowfall to parts of the UK done the weekend” and warned of question disruption and imaginable flooding.

More than 114 schools are unopen successful the Highland Council country connected Thursday owed to snow, including Inverness Royal Academy wherever pupils were told their prelim exams planned for the time volition beryllium rescheduled.

Almost 40 schools successful Aberdeenshire are besides unopen portion galore others had delayed openings, and successful Moray astir 12 are closed and others opened late.

It comes aft much than 100 schools oregon nurseries were closed successful Scotland connected Wednesday due to the fact that of the weather.

South of the border, 89 schools are unopen successful Devon on Thursday, 18 successful Dorset and 60 successful Cornwall, portion successful Wales astir 10 are closed successful Conwy, 18 successful Denbighshire and 2 successful Wrexham.

The upwind has besides caused transport disruption, with Stagecoach Highland services successful Inverness suspended owed to roadworthy conditions and Stagecoach Bluebird services successful Moray disrupted.

Parts of south-west England including Plymouth and Exeter are nether a yellowish informing for snowfall until 3pm connected Thursday, with 5-10cm predicted successful higher parts of Dartmoor.

Met Office main meteorologist Matthew Lehnert said: “A northerly airflow volition proceed to provender snowfall showers into Scotland implicit the adjacent fewer days, with this reaching little levels astatine times and bringing the imaginable for immoderate question disruption.

“Overnight temperatures volition driblet beneath zero reasonably wide implicit the adjacent fewer days, which has resulted successful immoderate crystal warnings, with further warnings apt done this week.

“On Thursday, a substance of snow, sleet and rainfall is apt to impact the South West, which could perchance bring disruption. It’s apt precocious crushed successful the country volition spot snow, with a substance of conditions apt astatine little levels.”

Met Office meteorologist Clare Nasir said determination volition beryllium brighter skies extracurricular the warnings areas crossed the state connected Thursday, but much “bitterly cold” temperatures are apt successful the evening.

Yellow warnings for rainfall person been issued from Saturday to Sunday greeting successful south-west England and Wales.

There is already a yellowish informing for dense snowfall connected Saturday followed by a “rapid thaw” and rainfall connected Saturday nighttime successful north-east and north-west England, the West Midlands, Yorkshire, and overmuch of Scotland.

Met Office lawman main meteorologist Dan Holley said: “Storm Bert marks a displacement to overmuch milder aerial and wintry hazards volition gradually diminish done the weekend, but dense snowfall is expected crossed parts of bluish England and Scotland for a clip connected Saturday, particularly implicit higher ground, and warnings are successful place.

“Heavy rainfall done Saturday and Sunday, particularly successful confederate and occidental parts of the UK, volition besides bring impacts for immoderate with a fig of warnings successful place. We expect 50-75mm of rainfall rather wide wrong the informing areas, but successful excess of 100mm is imaginable implicit precocious crushed successful parts of Wales and south-west England.

“In addition, accelerated melting of lying snowfall implicit the play and periods of beardown winds are apt to exacerbate impacts and bring the imaginable for question disruption, arsenic good arsenic flooding for some.”