More rain, snow and ice will hit Britain over the weekend
Britain should brace for more cold weather, ice and snow over the weekend, forecasters have warned, despite storm Goretti moving offshore.
Saturday will bring sunnier and drier conditions than recent days, but this will give way to rain and some snow on Sunday, the Met Office said.
Yellow alerts for snow and ice have been issued for most of the country, ahead of a blast of cold air moving in over Britain over night on Friday into Saturday.
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Storm Goretti moved on to northern Europe on Friday, after bringing heavy rain, snow and strong winds to much of the UK, causing tens of thousands of homes to lose power.
Trees fell down under gale force winds, while one home in Cornwall has been severely damaged by fallen trees.
Some flights were cancelled on Friday because of the storm, with footage of a passenger plane swaying in strong winds as it came into land at Heathrow Airport.
“Storm Goretti slopes away eastward tonight leaving a much quieter picture for Saturday,” Sky News Weather presenter Jo Wheeler said.
“However, the cold air returns with a severe frost expected tonight along with icy stretches on untreated roads and pavements.
The Met Office issued yellow alerts for snow and ice in most of Scotland and parts of England’s northeast from midday on Friday until 3pm on Saturday. This warning returns on Sunday from 2am to 3pm.
Another yellow warning for snow and ice was in place for Northern Ireland from 5pm on Friday until 11am on Saturday.
Large parts of England’s South, West, North West, the East Midlands and Wales were also under a yellow ice warning from midday on Friday to Saturday.
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In the early hours of Sunday, a band of rain will move in from the west, which will create a widespread risk of snow when it hits cold air, the Met Office predicted.
The likelihood of snow is especially high in Scotland, with areas in higher ground predicted to see 10-20cm of snow, and lighter falls in other areas.
“Cloud gathers Saturday evening with rain moving in from the Atlantic,” Ms Wheeler said.
“Meeting the cold air, there’s the potential for some short-lived disruptive snow.
“Mild air takes over after that with conditions less dramatic next week.”
Temperatures will remain low across much of the country on Saturday, between 2-3C, and will rise to 10C in some parts of the west and Northern Ireland on Sunday, creating a risk of localised flooding early next week.