More snow and ice is set to freeze the UK on Friday and Saturday – and now households across the UK are being urged to prepare for Storm Bert’s havoc with blizzard conditions bringing up to 40cm of snowfall in some areas.
The has issued a spate of yellow and one more serious amber warning for , ice, rain and wind across Friday and Saturday, starting on Thursday evening and going into all the way to 9am on Sunday in parts of England, Scotland and Wales.
The first warnings are already in place today, with more starting at 3pm, lasting until Friday morning, and even more starting at 5pm on Friday, lasting into Saturday morning. Saturday is the most affected day of all, with 7 warnings for , rain, ice and wind across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, with some warnings lasting until Sunday morning.
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It means that most of the UK will be hit with some kind of severe weather warning between now and Sunday, with much of the country facing the risk of more snow and some areas seeing very heavy snow.
The forecast for the UK on the worst affected day, Saturday, says: “Heavy will spread northeastwards on Saturday morning, giving significant accumulations in many areas.
“Accumulations of 10-20 cm are likely on ground typically above 200m, with potentially as much as 20-40 cm on hills above 400m. Snow will eventually revert to rain during Saturday afternoon, but may be preceded by a short spell of freezing rain in places adding to the ice risk.
“Strengthening winds will lead to drifting of lying snow, with difficult travelling conditions likely on higher level routes, and the risk of interruptions to power supplies. A fairly rapid thaw of lying snow is then likely on Saturday night as milder air moves in.”
In its advice on preparing for severe weather including snow, the urges homes to make sure they’re fully prepared because the inclement conditions can lead to travel disruption and power cuts.
First, make sure mobile phones are charged, and keep a spare fully charged battery pack on hand.
This is because heavy snow and rain as well as strong winds, all of which are in this batch of warnings, can cause localised power cuts, so it’s best to prepare for a loss of connectivity. Landlines, also, can be cut during storms, so charging your mobile is the best way to be ready.
The said: “People cope better with power cuts when they have prepared for them in advance and it’s easy to do. The essentials that could help you cope with a power cut are: battery candles, torches and batteries, a mobile phone power pack.
Households have been urged to buy batteries (Image: Getty)
“If your power goes out these simple steps can help you deal with the situation: Switch off all electrical appliances that shouldn’t be left unattended, ready for when the power comes back on.
“Leave a light on, so you know when the power cut has been fixed.
“Check to see if your neighbours are safe and if they have a power cut too. If they have power, your trip switch may have activated.”
If you do experience a power cut, you shouldn’t call your energy supplier or call 999, the number to ring is 105.