Met Office warns England will be affected by BLIZZARDS due to 30cm white object and 70mph winds causing flooding

BRITAIN is likely to be impacted by blizzards with 30cm of snow and 70mph winds in the wake of Hurricane Franklin.

The Met Office warned that even low levels around some areas could see up to 10cm of snow while severe weather continues to affect the UK.

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Met Office meteorologist Mark Wilson told The Sun Online a snow warning is in place for parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland from 1pm on Wednesday to 3pm on Thursday.

He said there was a small chance of 70 mph winds on the west coasts of Scotland and Northern Ireland but a strong chance of gusts in the 50 – 60 mph range.

Snowfall as low as 10cm is expected and in the higherlands of Scotland 30cm is possible.

Across the UK there will be strong winds with winds of up to 30-40mph, but the Met Office is not forecasting snow to fall outside the far north-west of the UK.

He said: “It’s going to be light winds, but nothing like what we’re seeing in the west of Scotland.”

There is another band of rain spreading to the southeast that will arrive on Wednesday and Thursday but is expected to pass fairly quickly and nothing “extremely significant” in terms of total rainfall.

It comes after parts of Great Britain flooded than Sunday and Monday due to the rain that lasted all day.

This consistency is not expected throughout the rest of the week, Wilson said.

The upcoming weekend doesn’t look too bad in parts of the UK, but a spell of north-west and south-east weather is expected.

To the south and east, the weather is dry with milder winds, but to the northwest stronger winds with a chance of rain in places.

The weather is expected to stabilize around Friday when the winds will ease.

It will be “a lot drier and brighter,” Wilson said, but it may just be a brief, more calming spell for some parts.

“I think at the moment we’re past the worst, there’s going to be more rain around but not like what we’ve seen in recent days,” Wilson said.

“We will be watching closely as some areas are quite sensitive to rain following recent flooding.”

ONE major incident was declared earlier today and emergency evacuations have begun amid severe flood warnings.

Downpours and heavy rains will continue to pelt the UK for at least the next two days after Storm Franklin.

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There are two severe flood warnings, 116 and 118 warnings in place for the UK as severe weather sweeps through.

The other six warnings and 14 include Wales, while in Scotland there are two warnings and one warning.

The Severn River will bear the brunt of the attack, where rising water levels pose a “significant danger to life” and residents are told to “act now”.

Anyone living nearby is asked to move property and valuables off the ground or to a safe place, and to turn off gas, electricity and water.

Hundreds of people have been evacuated, and the Met Office “strongly recommends” others move away from behind defensive fences due to the risk of their homes being submerged.

Andrew Blair, owner of the Royal Hill pub in Edgeley, Shropshire, said the water was “above the fence” and “people’s homes are filling up”.

The warnings prompted police to declare a “major incident” in Worcestershire and Shropshire, with some people told to stay home only if they have enough food, water and medical supplies to last at least an week.

It followed the hammering of Hurricane Franklin, with winds of 87mph recorded at the Needles on the Isle of Wight on Sunday night and gusts of 79mph in Capel Curig in Wales on Monday morning.

Hurricane Franklin may have dissipated and the weather looks calmer for much of this week, but it’s far from calm.

Alex DeakinMet Office Meteorologist

While the worst storm – the third to hit the nation in a week – has passed, there is still more “unsettled” weather to come.

Two yellow weather warnings for wind and snow are in effect for southeastern Scotland and northeastern England from 6am tomorrow, with gusts of up to 60 mph are expected.

Then “regular heavy sleet” will hit Scotland and Northern Ireland on Wednesday, where there is also the potential for lightning, power cuts and danger to life from flying debris.

Met Office meteorologist Alex Deakin said: “Hurricane Franklin may have dissipated and the weather looks calmer for much of this week, but is far from calm.

“It’s still pretty lively sometimes.

“The next weather system approaching will bring most of us some rain for the first part of Tuesday.

“First, there will be heavy rain across western Scotland and Northern Ireland on Tuesday, and a wet morning rush hour across north-west England and north and west Wales.

“There will be a low level of rain, but in the hills there will be some snow mixed in.

“The next weather system will then bring rain across the northwest, intensifying winds.

“Much of England is dry, but still dazzled with rain again on Wednesday.”

WATERPROOF CONDITIONS

Showers and strong winds will bring “difficult driving conditions for many”.

Britons were advised against travel yesterday, and further disruption is expected today.

Flights to Manchester Airport have been diverted to London Heathrow, Stansted, Birmingham, East Midlands, Newcastle and Dublin due to strong winds that mean it is too dangerous to land in the North West.

Gusts has also crippled train networks, with reduced services running since Storm Dudley and Storm Eunice last week.

All three storms left 1.4 million households without power, some lasting up to 72 hours.

As of Monday, 30,000 remained in the dark, although the UK’s Electricity Grid last night said 98 per cent of properties were back to power.

More showers and fog are expected tonight over higher ground, with clearer conditions bringing rural frost further south.

Then tomorrow, “regular and heavy” downpours will hit the north, turning to snow in the evening.

And more rain is forecast for Thursday and the weekend, with “winter showers” in the north and west.

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The latest weather misery comes after fierce storm Eunice killed four people and left millions of homes in darkness on Friday, and Hurricane Dudley destroys homes and cars last week.

The difficult conditions led to travel chaos, flight cancellations, power cut and the police force was flooded with calls.

The train network was hampered by flying debris – and there was much damage to buildings and homes with O2’s roof ripped off.

Two adults were forced to take shelter on the roof of their 4×4 and a relative had to rescue a baby from the backseat after it got stuck in floodwater during Typhoon Eunice.

Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue said the vehicle got stuck after driving over a stream in the village of East Leake on Friday.

Katharine Smith, flood officer at the Environment Agency, said: “Heavy rain, affecting already wet areas, has the potential to cause significant flooding along the Severn through Thursday. Private.

“We have crews on standby to take preventive actions, close flood gates, deploy temporary barricades and move pumps and other response equipment to the highest-risk areas.

“While a number of properties have sadly been flooded in the past few days, Environment Agency forces have protected more than 40,000 properties despite record-high river levels.

“We advise people to stay away from flooded rivers and not to drive through floodwaters as only 30cm of water is enough to move your car.”

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