Storm Bert: Second named storm of season to bring snow, rain and 70mph winds to UK at weekend

The second named storm of the season will bring snow, rain and strong winds to parts of the UK this weekend, according to the Met Office.

The storm, named Bert, is set to sweep in on Saturday, bringing freezing temperatures and snow over the weekend.

Wind gusts of up to 70mph and heavy rain are expected in some areas as well as the potential of flooding and travel disruption.

Several yellow warnings for snow and ice are in place across the UK until 10am on Friday, with one covering parts of Scotland in effect until midday, before a slew of further yellow alerts for wind, rain and snow go live on Saturday.

An amber alert for heavy snow and ice will be in force between 7am and 5pm on Saturday in an area north of Scotland’s central belt, where 10-20cm is likely on ground above 200 metres and potentially as much as 20-40cm on hills above 400 metres.

The warning covers parts of Angus, Perth and Kinross, Stirlingshire, Aberdeenshire and some of the Highlands and Argyll and Bute.

Met Office chief meteorologist Matthew Lehnert said: “A northerly airflow will continue to feed snow showers into Scotland over the next few days, with this reaching lower levels at times and bringing the potential for some travel disruption.

“Overnight temperatures will drop below zero fairly widely over the next few days, which has resulted in some ice warnings, with further warnings likely through this week.”

More than 114 schools were shut in the Highland Council area on Thursday due to snow, including Inverness Royal Academy where pupils were told their prelim exams planned for the day would be rescheduled.

Almost 40 schools in Aberdeenshire were also while many others had delayed openings, and in Moray around 12 were closed and others opened late.

It came after more than 100 schools or nurseries were closed in Scotland on Wednesday because of the weather.

South of the border, 89 schools were shut in Devon, 18 in Dorset and 60 in Cornwall, while in Wales around 10 were closed in Conwy, 18 in Denbighshire and two in Wrexham.

As Storm Bert hits the UK, areas where warnings are in place in the south and west are likely to be impacted by heavy rain on Saturday and Sunday.

Between 50-75 mm of rainfall is expected there on the weekend, while Wales and southwest England could see more than 100mm.

There is already a yellow warning for heavy snow on Saturday followed by a “rapid thaw” and rain on Saturday night in northeast and northwest England, the West Midlands, Yorkshire, and much of Scotland.

Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Dan Holley said: “Storm Bert marks a shift to much milder air and wintry hazards will gradually diminish through the weekend, but heavy snowfall is expected across parts of northern England and Scotland for a time on Saturday, especially over higher ground, and warnings are in place.”