Storm Jake hits UK with ice, snow and wind gusts of up to 70mph

'Storm Jake is going to bring some squally weather into the south-west from 8am'

Ryan Wilkinson,Serina Sandhu
Wednesday 02 March 2016 09:04 GMT
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Storm Jake follows Storm Imogen in early February
Storm Jake follows Storm Imogen in early February

Storm Jake is set to lash Britain on Wednesday, bringing ice, snow and wind gusts of up to 70mph.

Cold air will sweep across the majority of the country, with showers likely to turn into sleet and snow.

The Met Office is warning motorists to be careful on the roads after issuing a yellow warning for snow and ice for swathes of northern England, northern Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Drivers in Cheshire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and the Humber may be delayed on their morning commute as several centimetres of snow are expected to settle.

The warning said: "Please be aware of some difficult driving conditions and the potential for travel disruption into the Wednesday morning rush hour."

Severe warnings for wind have also been issued for Wales and south-west England.

“Storm Jake is going to bring some squally weather into the south-west from 8am, with plenty of gusts of 50mph inland and 70mph on the coasts, and that is going to trundle towards the south-east, but should clear by the afternoon," said Met Office forecaster Calum MacColl.

“It’s going to be cold, unsettled and windy the further west you go with plenty of showers pushing through from the north and they could be wintry."

And it is not time to put away the winter coat just yet as temperatures are expected to dip across the country.

On Wednesday, it will be around 4°C in northern England and Scotland and between 6°C and 8°C in the south, west and Wales. In London, temperatures will be warmer at around 9°C.

The cold spell comes after the Met Office announced that winter 2015/16 had been the warmest in England and Wales for more than 100 years.

On Wednesday night, outbreaks of sleet and snow are expected across northern and central parts of Scotland, but they should have cleared by Thursday morning, according to Meteogroup UK. The rest of the UK will be dry but very cold with forecasts of frost.

Additional reporting by PA

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