Snow, wind and ice expected to batter Britain as Storm Jake sweeps in

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/mar/01/storm-jake-snow-wind-ice-weather-warnings-uk

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Temperatures are set to plunge across the UK and snow showers are expected as Storm Jake sweeps in.

The Met Office has issued yellow warnings of snow, ice and wind, and forecasters said icy roads could lead to travel disruption during the morning rush hour on Wednesday.

After what is expected to be the warmest winter on record, the arrival of meteorological spring is being marked by a wintry spell, which is likely to bring up to 10cm of snow on high ground and severe gales in some places.

Met Éireann has issued a warning for strong winds in Ireland from Tuesday night to Wednesday morning. This meets the criteria for naming a storm – so Storm Jake has been born.

In the UK, blustery weather is expected on Wednesday morning across south-west Wales and south-west England, where isolated gusts of 70mph are possible around exposed coasts, with gusts of 50mph inland.

But the strongest winds will hit Ireland, and the impact on the UK is not expected to be as severe as in previously named storms.

Areas including Manchester, Newcastle, Scarborough and Leeds can expect a marked temperature drop of about 5C (41F) on Wednesday after balmier conditions of 10-11C the previous day.

Showers will turn wintry on Tuesday evening, with a risk of prolonged snowfall late in the night and early on Wednesday, especially in the south, according to the Met Office.

This could lead to a covering of snow of about 2-5cm in many places, and 5-10cm on ground above 100 metres.

The Met Office forecaster Alex Burkill said some people might not see snow due to the nature of showers. Places likely to be hit include Lancashire, the Manchester area and the Peak District.

“With the timing of these wintry showers coming across, you’d imagine there could be some disruption mainly to morning rush hour around those areas. Even if the snowfall’s not that great, we could see icy surfaces if surfaces are left untreated, so drivers should be aware that there could be some disruption to travel,” he said. It would be noticeably colder on Wednesday, he added.

The Met Office is due to process the final winter temperature readings from weather stations around the UK this week, with 2015-16 expected to be the warmest in some parts since the 17th century.

Preliminary data for central England showed an average of 7C this winter, beating a previous high of 6.8C set in 1659.

Early figures also indicate this winter has been the second wettest and the warmest for the whole of England and Wales, in records dating to 1910. The average total rainfall across the country over the winter was 515mm (20.2 inches), second only to 2013-14, during which there were widespread storms and flooding.