UK weather: Icy weekend to bring heavy snow and torrential rain

‘Battle for supremacy continues’ as wet Atlantic weather fronts combine with blob of wintery Scandinavian air

Much of the UK is set to be blanketed with snow and ice in the coming days, with flooding also expected in dozens of areas as more torrential rain lashes England and Wales. 

The Met Office has issued four yellow weather warnings so far, with much of the country told to brace for potentially treacherous or disruptive snow, ice and rain. 

A “battle for supremacy continues over the UK”, the state forecaster said, as wet Atlantic weather fronts moving in via Devon and Cornwall “try to extend their influence" over the dense pool of cold Scandinavian air already hanging over the country.

“As this rain starts to move north it will combine with cold air already over the UK, causing snow across much of Wales, where up to 20cm could fall in the highest regions,” said Met Office spokesperson, Nicola Maxey.

"Over the weekend large swathes of the UK will see some form of snow, with warnings in place for much of Scotland and the north east of England.

“Even parts of London and the South East should see a small flurry, which is unlikely to settle.”

Temperatures are not expected to exceed 6C over the weekend, and a yellow warning for ice covers much of northeast England and large parts of Scotland until 11am on Saturday, bringing dangerous conditions for motorists and pedestrians.

And torrential rain is forecast across Cornwall and much of Devon until 8pm on Saturday evening, bringing the risk of flooding and transport disruption.

Forecasters said 15-25mm of rain could fall widely, with 40-50mm possible across Dartmoor and close to the south coast. Scotland appears set to enjoy the sunniest conditions.

As of Saturday morning, the Environment Agency had issued 79 flood warnings across England, meaning immediate action is required, and 246 alerts, meaning flooding is possible. There are also currently five flood alerts in place for Wales.

“As we move into next week another front will move in from the South West with long periods of snow and icy conditions for most of England, Wales and Scotland,” Ms Maxey added.

As a result, a further weather warning is in place across much of England and Wales from Monday to Wednesday, bringing possible road closures, power cuts and risk of injury due to ice.

“Up to 5cm is expected off the coasts, which will reach highs of 15cm in the higher areas in Scotland and Wales,” Ms Maxey said.

Some rural communities could become “cut off” due to the wintry weather, forecasters warned.

It comes after parts of Scotland were blanketed by up to 19cm of snow in just 24 hours overnight on Thursday, while areas in southwest England recorded almost 30mm of rainfall.

Additional reporting by PA