Gales, snow and heavy rain forecast with transport disruption and floods expected in Scotland and northern England
More storms are predicted to batter Britain this week, with severe weather warnings extended to cover the whole of Britain by Thursday.
Gales, snow and heavy rain have again hit Scotland, Northern Ireland and many parts of Wales. The forecast is that this time they will extend from the north-west into parts of southern England, causing transport disruption and floods.
Police are warning road users, particularly in Scotland, to keep in touch with weather and travel information. But wind speeds are expected to peak at 60mph, rather than hitting the dramatic 150mph gusts felt in some parts of the Scottish Highlands last week, which closed scores of roads and hundreds of schools and left thousands of homes without power.
The Met Office described the recent spell of bad weather as "one of the stormiest periods the UK has seen for several years". It issued yellow warnings – the second alert level – for heavy rain with the potential for localised flooding and heavy snow showers with blizzard conditions. The warnings are likely to be upgraded.
Snow could hit any part of the UK on Tuesday, and for Thursday and Friday the warnings cover all of the UK mainland, with no respite from the threat of "rapidly strengthening winds and heavy rain". Tim Hewson, chief forecaster at the Met Office, said: "There is some uncertainty in the forecast for later in the week, but there is potential for a significant storm and we are keeping a close eye on the situation as it develops.
"We'll be regularly updating our forecasts and warnings, so we advise everyone to stay up to date with the latest situation."
The Scottish transport minister, Keith Brown, said: "According to the Met Office this week won't be as severe, however the forecast does present another serious test for our systems and lines of communication. We cannot control the weather, and disruption cannot be ruled out, but the wide range of measures taken has paid dividends so far."
The Highways Agency warned all road users to drive with extra care, and issued amber warnings for vulnerable and high-sided vehicles to avoid the Severn crossings in the south-west, the Dartford crossing in the south-east, and the A14 Orwell Bridge near Ipswich. "Conditions look set to remain difficult for the rest of the week, so I'd advise drivers to remain on their guard," said the agency's severe weather manager, Mark Clark.
Scottish Water has delivered pallets of bottled water to Laggan in the Highlands, after supplies to the village were cut off for hours last week by a power failure caused by the storm. Some Scottish schools stayed shut yesterday, and the further warning of more appalling weather to come caused dismay in areas where roads have only just reopened after clearance work.