UK weather – live: Met Office issues flooding warning with heavy rain to hit England tonight
There are over 400 of flood warnings and alerts in place across Britain
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Your support makes all the difference.Further yellow weather warnings have been issued by the Met Office, as heavy rain is set to hit large parts of the UK on Saturday evening.
The forecaster expects the weather to impact Newcastle and East Anglia along England’s east coast, with a warning in place from 7pm until midday on Sunday.
Another fresh yellow warning for rain for Cornwall, as well as parts of Devon and Somerset, is due to come into effect at 6pm and last until 6am tomorrow morning.
This comes after an Artic blast wreaked chaos across the UK, with schools closing in north Wales and the Peak District due to snow, ice and sleet.
About 10cm of snow was measured by the Met Office in Kirkwall, Orkney, Scotland, on Thursday, while 9cm was recorded in West Yorkshire.
It comes as heavy rain continues to fall across the country triggering hundreds of flood warnings and alerts across Britain.
As of midday on Saturday, a total of 76 flood warnings and 275 lower level flood alerts are in place for England as heavy rain is set to hit this evening.
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Weather warnings in place
Some areas of the UK are set to remain under weather warnings for snow over the first part of the weekend.
A Yellow weather warning for snow will continue across Scotland on Friday and Saturday with the Met Office urging people to be cautious.
It will remain in place until 3pm on Saturday and comes with a probability of power cuts, travel disruption and injuries due to slips on ice.
About 10cm of snow was measured by the Met Office in Kirkwall, Orkney, Scotland, on Thursday, while 9cm was recorded in West Yorkshire.
What to expect from weather warnings
In Scotland, a yellow warning for snow came into effect at 12pm on Thursday and will remain in place until 3pm on Friday. The warning covers most of the central belt and parts of the Scottish Borders but also extends north.
Here’s what to expect with the warning, according to the Met Office:
- There is a small chance that power cuts will occur and other services, such as mobile phone coverage, may be affected
- There is a slight chance that some rural communities could become cut off
- A small chance of injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces
- There is a chance of travel delays on roads with some stranded vehicles and passengers, along with delayed or cancelled rail and air travel
Weekend weather forecast
Friday Night:
Rain and hill snow persisting across north and east Scotland. Elsewhere, patchy cloudy with some showers or longer spells of rain. Fog patches may develop underneath the clearest spells.
Saturday:
Rain and some snow persisting in the far north, mostly over higher ground. Occasional brighter interludes in the south once any fog clears, with showers, these mostly in the west.
Outlook for Sunday to Tuesday:
Often cloudy through the period with showers or longer spells of rain. Some bright or sunny intervals developing, most likely on Tuesday. Breezy along the coasts with temperatures around average.
Met Office advice for travelling in heavy snow and ice
Many roads across Britain are incredibly icy today, as snow continues to fall across Scotland. Here is the Met Office’s advice for travelling in heavy snow and ice:
- If you have to make a journey when snow is forecast, make sure you have warm clothes, food, water, boots, a torch and spade, and let someone know when you expect to arrive and your route.
- Put grit or cat litter on paths and driveways to lessen the risk of slipping on compacted snow.
- Use the highest gear possible to avoid wheel spin.
- If braking is necessary, pump the brakes don’t slam them on.
- If you get stuck, stay with your car and tie something brightly coloured to your aerial
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How to help birds survive in snow
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has issued suggestions to householders on helping birds survive the snow.
Snow is set to continue to fall in Scotland over the weekend and many areas of the UK are still dealing with unmelted snow and ice.
The RSPB advised bird lovers to leave piles of leaves, logs or sticks to provide a natural hideaway for birds, provide high energy food like suet or nuts, and break ice on birdbaths.
Where will see snow over the weekend?
While most of the UK will not be seeing any more wintry showers over the weekend, some spots will still be affected by a yellow weather warning for snow until Saturday afternoon.
Much of the rest of the UK are now being affected by flood warnings and alerts as they deal with the aftermath of melting snow over the weekend.
However, up in Scotland, many areas will still see snow. The areas affected are:
Central, Tayside & Fife
Angus
Perth and Kinross
Stirling
Grampian
Aberdeenshire
Moray
Highlands & Eilean Siar
Latest weather pictures
Yellow weather warning for snow across north of Scotland
A yellow weather warning for snow has been issued in the north of Scotland.
The warning is in place until 3pm on Saturday and will cover most of Aberdeenshire, Moray and the Highlands.
The Met Office has told residents there could be a small chance of power cuts, and other services such as mobile phone coverage may be affected.
Some rural communities could be cut off and there is a small chance of injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces.
Flood warnings remain in place in England
Warnings south of the border have expired, but there are still 90 flood warnings and 306 alerts in place across England, with nine flood alerts and 10 warnings in Scotland.
Despite the weather warning, train operator ScotRail has confirmed on social media that most services will be running on Saturday, with the exception of routes where there are planned engineering works.
Services have also been affected on the North West Highland line.
Ferry operator Calmac has announced a number of delays and cancellations due to the adverse weather.
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