Britain braces for another icy blast as snow sweeps in again

Amber 'be prepared' warnings for snow have been issued by the Met Office for many parts of Scotland

Rob Williams
Tuesday 05 February 2013 07:30 GMT
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A council gritter spreads grit on roads
A council gritter spreads grit on roads

Less than a fortnight after Britain was battered by blizzard conditions, snow and gale force winds are expected to hit the country once again.

Up to 10cm of snow is predicted to fall in some places by today along with 60mph to 70mph winds, as experts warned that temperatures were set to continue plummeting throughout the week.

Scotland is expected to experience gusts of 70mph to 80mph and up to four inches (10cm) of snow will spread from the north to many parts.

In Scotland yesterday waves off the west coast of Scotland reached heights of around 20 metres (65ft) and researchers have recorded the average peaks measuring between 13 and 14 metres (42-45ft) during the day.

Stephen Davenport, senior forecaster with MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said: "Over the next 24 hours we'll see localised snow storms, with 5cm to 10cm expected to fall in the Highlands, Pennines and western parts of the Southern Uplands.

Lower amounts are forecast on higher grounds in Wales and Devon and Cornwall.

"Winds will be pretty strong, especially overnight, in areas affected by these snow showers, which will result in blizzard conditions.

"By the end of the week there could be more snow storms around, and even parts of the south may see some snow."

Amber "be prepared" warnings for snow have been issued by the Met Office for many parts of Scotland, including the Highlands and Western Isles, Strathclyde, the south west, Lothian and Borders and Central, Tayside and Fife areas.

A yellow "be aware" alert for high winds in many regions including Orkney and Shetland, the Highlands and Strathclyde is also in place.

The Met Office said there is a 70% probability of snow or icy conditions hitting parts of England by Friday.

Snow storms brought parts of the country to a standstill at the end of January.

Hundreds of drivers were forced to spend the night in their cars on the M6 in Lancashire after more than a foot of snow fell.

The cold snap was followed by widespread floods caused by melting snow and heavy rain.

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