Met Office issues danger to life warning as more snow forecast over weekend

Heavy snow will continue to fall over the weekend as the Met Office warned of a danger to life in some parts of the country.

The deluge is expected on Saturday followed by a rapid thaw and rain in north-east and north-west England, the West Midlands, Yorkshire, and much of Scotland.

The Met Office has issued a number of weather warnings for the coming days, with residents urged to be prepared for power cuts as they are warned flooding from heavy rain could be pose a danger to life on Saturday night.

Several days of snowfall across large swathes of the country have sparked chaos in the UK this week, as the nation sees its first taste of winter this year.

As lows of -7.5C were seen on Tuesday night in Warcop, Cumbria, around 14cm of snow fell in Altnaharra, Sutherland. Elsewhere, 8cm was recorded at Loch Glascarnoch in the Scottish Highlands, and 6cm in Thorncliffe, Staffordshire.

The weather prompted more than 100 schools or nurseries to close in Scotland on Wednesday, with 52 shut in the Highland Council area, 51 in Aberdeenshire, 11 in Moray and two in Shetland.

A sheep in the snow near Goathland in North Yorkshire (Danny Lawson/PA) (PA Wire)
A sheep in the snow near Goathland in North Yorkshire (Danny Lawson/PA) (PA Wire)

A sharp rise in vehicle breakdowns has also been reported as drivers’ batteries failed on Wednesday morning due to cold weather, the RAC said.

The wintry spell has not yet ended according to the Met Office, with a series of weather warnings in place until Sunday.

On Wednesday and Thursday morning, up to 10cm of snow is expected in some parts of north-west Scotland - where a yellow weather warning is in place - with higher ground seeing up to 20cm.

A warning for ice is also in place until Thursday morning in most of Scotland, the East and West Midlands, the east, north-east and north-west of England, Northern Ireland, Wales and Yorkshire.

A sharp rise in vehicle breakdowns has also been reported as drivers’ batteries failed on Wednesday morning due to cold weather, the RAC said. (Danny Lawson/PA Wire)
A sharp rise in vehicle breakdowns has also been reported as drivers’ batteries failed on Wednesday morning due to cold weather, the RAC said. (Danny Lawson/PA Wire)

From 5am to 3pm on Thursday, parts of south-west England will also be subject to a yellow Met Office warning for snow, with 5cm to 10cm predicted in higher parts of Dartmoor.

While there is a brief break from weather warnings on Friday, forecasted heavy snow followed by rain on Saturday night means there will be more warnings covering large swathes of the country.

The Met Office has warned residents in northern England, Yorkshire, the West Midlands, and much of Scotland that there is a chance floodwater could pose danger to life, some rural communities could become cut off, and there may be travel disruption.

The warning for snow and rain is in place from 4am on Saturday until 9am on Sunday.

From 5am to 3pm on Thursday, parts of south-west England will also be subject to a yellow Met Office warning for snow, with 5cm to 10cm predicted in higher parts of Dartmoor. (Getty Images)
From 5am to 3pm on Thursday, parts of south-west England will also be subject to a yellow Met Office warning for snow, with 5cm to 10cm predicted in higher parts of Dartmoor. (Getty Images)

New yellow warnings for rain have also been published from Saturday to Sunday morning in south-west England and Wales.

Met Office spokesperson Andrea Bishop said: “A deep area of low pressure is expected to bring a spell of prolonged and, at times, heavy rainfall across a large part of the UK this weekend.

“Across south-west England, rain is expected to develop during Saturday morning with heavier rain likely later in the day and overnight into early Sunday morning.

“Fifty to 75mm of rain is expected to fall fairly widely during this time with a chance that some places over Dartmoor could see 100-125mm. Strong southerly winds will accompany the heavy rain and may locally exacerbate impacts.”

Meanwhile, The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued the first amber cold weather health alert of the season, warning conditions could be dangerous for vulnerable people, including the elderly.