A wall of snow stretching the length and breadth of the UK threatens to bring misery to large parts of the country this weekend.
Britain is braced for a weekend of weather disruption, with the Met Office issuing a rare red warning as a result of winds brought by Storm Éowyn to Northern Ireland and parts of Scotland.
But the weather could be accompanied by snow and rain throughout the country, promising total chaos for millions of Brits.
The Met Office forecast for the weekend stops short of predicting snow but does acknowledge unsettled weather across the nation.
It said: “Windy in the north on Saturday as Storm Éowyn clears eastwards, with sunny spells and blustery showers for most. Further wet and windy weather arrives on Sunday and Monday.”
But newly released weather data by WXCharts.com indicates that large parts of the country could be blanketed in snow, although it is unlikely to be in the quantities seen in large parts of the UK earlier this month.
Weather maps show a wall of snow moving eastwards towards the UK’s west coast, stretching from Glasgow as far south as Birmingham throughout Saturday.
The weather could see as much as 10cm per hour falling in some parts as it makes its way across the country.
On Saturday the snow could also fall over parts of the Midlands and the UK’s east coast, before dispersing on Sunday.
In Scotland, snow is expected to fall over much of the country in conjunction with the strong winds brought by Storm Éowyn, with snow heaviest in the highlands.
Of the storm, a senior Met Office official warned of the threat to life caused by the severe weather.
Met Office chief meteorologist Paul Gundersen said: “We reserve the issuing of Red Warnings for the most severe weather which represents a likely danger to life and severe disruption, and that is the case with Storm Éowyn.
“While it will be widely very windy on Friday, with additional hazards from rain and snow, the strongest winds and most significant impacts are likely in Northern Ireland and central and southwestern parts of Scotland within the Red Warning areas, where winds could gust 80-90 mph quite widely for a time, and potentially up to 100 mph for exposed coasts in particular.”
