Snow is set to wreak havoc across the UK this weekend – with some areas getting as much as 26cm.
Parts of Britain are likely to be left covered under a thick layer of snow as the latest weather maps have turned white for tomorrow (Saturday, November 23).
And forecaster WXCharts’ maps show up to 26cm of snow accumulating in Scotland as the extreme weather continues to take hold.
According to the latest weather maps, areas around Inverness are likely to see some of the heaviest snowfall, with the temperature level plummeting to -3C.
Other areas – such as Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Wick – are also likely to experience snowy conditions.
Northern areas such as Newcastle could see up to 5cm and around Manchester up to 2cm. Southern areas are set to be battered by heavy rain, maps show.
The maps comes as the Met Office issued rare amber warning of ice and snow for various parts of the country.
Storm Bert is also expected to bring heavy rain through Saturday and Sunday, especially in southern and western parts of the UK.
Jason Kelly is a Met Office chief meteorologist and said Storm Bert “starts to arrive overnight on Friday and into Saturday, initially over Northern Ireland.”
He said: “As we go through the first part of Saturday morning, it will start to show its hand across Scotland, north Wales and northern England, with the potential for some heavy snowfall, especially over higher ground.
“Warnings are in place, including an amber warning for snow and ice for parts of Scotland.”
Mr Kelly added: “Heavy rainfall will affect much of the UK this weekend.
“Rain is expected to develop during Saturday morning across southwest and southern England, becoming particularly heavy and persistent overnight and into Sunday.
“Accumulations of 50-75 mm are expected to fall fairly widely during this time. There is a chance that some places over Dartmoor for example, could see 100-150mm. In addition, rapid melting of lying snow over the weekend may bring flooding for some.”
Nick Finnis, a meterologist with Netweather.tv, gave his thughts in a blog.
He wrote: “Perhaps an early frosty this evening, before cloud increases in the west, the wind and temperatures rise, heralding the arrival of Storm Bert. Heavy rain and gales will sweep in before dawn across the west, turning to heavy snow for a time across Northern Ireland, then northern areas of mainland UK through the morning.
“The snow will be temporary before turning back to rain as milder air arrives, but as the snow will be wet and heavy, it will readily stick to all surfaces and will quickly accumulate – with as much as 5-10cm falling at lower levels, and as much as 20cm over some hills and mountains, locally more in the Amber area in Scotland, which combined with strong winds will give very poor visibility and treacherous driving conditions. This will lead to travel disruption and even power cuts.
“Besides the disruption likely from the heavy snowfall, heavy rain could also lead to treacherous conditions on the roads along with a risk of flooding. The heaviest rain looks to be across Wales and SW England – where as much as 150mm could fall over higher ground.”