UK braces for heavy rain and windy weather with possible snow in northern England

Heavy rain and spells of strong winds are possible in the coming weeks, the Met Office says

Milder weather has brought reprieve for Britons after widespread damage caused by back-to-back storms, but the UK is being warned to brace for further wet and windy conditions in the lead-up to spring.

According to the Met Office’s long-term prediction from 4-13 February, periods of wet weather are likely to affect northwestern parts of the UK, particularly early in this period.

Some heavy rain is possible and this is likely to be accompanied by spells of strong winds.

South of the Scottish border, it is likely to be more settled and whilst some rain can't be ruled out at times, there is likely to be plenty of dry weather through this period.

People shelter from the rain as they walk across London Bridge in central London (PA Wire)

Winds will be lighter and this will bring the risk of overnight frost and fog, the Met Office said.

As Britons begin to anticipate the arrival of spring, areas of southern England will be spared snow for the time being.

After 14 February, brief colder spells are likely in between weather systems, and the south is likely to be at greatest risk of seeing some overnight frost and fog, the Met Office said.

Things will start to appear a little warmer and brighter as February draws to a close, the forecaster added.

WXCharts' weather forecast indicates that 9 February may be especially windy in the north of the UK, and that chilly conditions may persist until Valentine's Day.

Many areas of the north should prepare for a period of cold and snow, even though the highlands are projected to be most hit, WXCharts forecast showed.

Sheep feed in a snow-covered field near Shotts, North Lanarkshire (Jane Barlow/PA Wire)

It comes as hundreds of thousands of people across the country were left without power after Storm Eowyn swept in on 24 January, wreaking significant damage, with gusts of up to 100mph.

The storm, which claimed one life north of the border, caused significant damage to infrastructure on the rail network, which led to many route closures.

The weather warnings in place during Storm Eowyn included a red “danger to life” alert between 10am and 5pm last Friday, which covered the central belt and Dumfries and Galloway and stretched north on the west coast to Jura in Argyll and Bute.

Calum Carmichael, 19, from New Cumnock, East Ayrshire, died after his car was hit by a falling tree in nearby Mauchline at about 6.45am on Friday before the red weather warning came into force.