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'Miserable March' continues as UK braced for rain and snow Heavy rain and snow cause disruption
(35 minutes later)
The "miserable March" weather is set to continue with intense rainfall and significant snowfall for Friday and into the weekend, forecasters say. Heavy rainfall is causing flooding in the South West of England while snow has fallen in parts of the UK, with more disruption expected later.
The Met Office has issued five amber warnings for snow covering much of the UK, and one amber warning for heavy rain in south-west England on Friday. In Devon and Cornwall, homes have flooded and drivers have been rescued from their cars.
Worst-hit areas in northern England, Scotland and Northern Ireland could see up to 40cm (15in) of snow. The Environment Agency has 16 flood warnings in place for the South West. The Met Office has two amber warnings for snow, covering much of the UK.
The Environment Agency has meanwhile warned of flooding in southern England. BBC forecasters said 20cm-40cm (8in-16in) of snow could fall in places.
The agency has five flood warnings in place for the South West and more than 70 flood alerts have been issued for mainly southern parts of England. The snow would cause travel disruption across northern parts of the UK on Friday, the BBC's Tomasz Schafernaker said.
Downpours have already begun to cause problems in Devon, with police in Plymouth advising motorists not to make unnecessary journeys on Thursday evening. 'Immediate action'
Sgt Dave Opara said: "There has been a considerable amount of rainfall across the force area. There will be more to come throughout the night, so the situation is not going to get much better too soon." Roads in northern parts of Wales, the Midlands into the Pennines, southern Scotland and Northern Ireland would be the worst affected on Friday, while gale force winds would blow snow and drifts across trans-Pennine routes.
'Blizzard-like conditions' Heavy snow could continue into Saturday and Sunday, he said.
In Cornwall, the county council has opened a dedicated emergency response centre to respond to the flooding. He warned of flooding problems across the south and said parts of southern Cornwall and Devon could see 50-75mm of rain falling in a 24-48 hour period.
A spokesman said it had received reports of flooding around Newlyn and Penzance, as well as in Mevagissey near St Austell. The warnings come just over a week before the start of British Summer Time.
Amber warnings for snow, meaning the public should "be prepared" for extreme conditions, have been issued for Northern Ireland, Wales, north-west England and the entire Midlands. On Thursday night into Friday morning, areas of Cornwall - including Newlyn, Penzance, Mevagissy and St Ives - were flooded, with the fire service taking about 50 calls between 18:00 and 21:00.
BBC weather forecaster Louise Lear said the "miserable March" weather was set to continue into the next few days. Areas of Devon, including Ashburton, were also affected while, in two separate incidents in Plymstock, people were rescued by fire crews after being stuck in their cars in flood water.
"A weather front [from the south west] will push further north and east. It bumps into the colder air causing strong winds and heavy snow. Sgt Dave Opara, from Devon and Cornwall Police, said: "There has been a considerable amount of rainfall across the force area.
"The snow will be blown around by the strong south-easterly winds creating blizzard-like conditions to higher ground. "There will be more to come throughout the night so the situation is not going to get much better too soon."
"We keep some milder air further south and west, but we keep the rain throughout [Friday] afternoon which could cause some problems." As well as setting flood warnings - meaning "flooding is expected, immediate action required" - in the South West, the Environment Agency also has 79 flood alerts - meaning "flooding is possible, be prepared" - across England.
The Met Office predicts up to 60mm (2in) of rain is possible in southern and south-west England, with the Environment Agency warning of "localised surface water and river flooding" in the affected areas. Spokesman Ben Johnstone said: "We strongly urge people to sign up to flood warnings on the Environment Agency website, keep a close eye on local weather forecasts and be prepared for possible flooding."
The agency has also warned that rivers in south Wales may rise steadily from Thursday evening, which could lead to a small number of flood alerts on rivers in Pembrokeshire and Monmouthshire. People should not try to wade or drive through any deep water, he added.
A 41-year-old woman and her 17-year-old son were airlifted to hospital on Thursday by an RAF rescue helicopter after becoming hypothermic in poor weather conditions on Snowdon. Hampden warning
The Met has one amber warning - meaning "be prepared" - for rain for some southern parts of Cornwall and Devon.
There are two amber warnings for snow in place - one for parts of the north Midlands, north-east Wales and north-west England, and another for parts of Northern Ireland.
There are also yellow warnings - meaning "be aware" - in place for areas including parts of eastern Scotland and parts of south-west Scotland.
Belfast International Airport has warned passengers there could be delays on Friday and Saturday because of heavy rain and snow.
Scotland has already born the brunt of heavy snowfall, which made driving conditions hazardous and forced the closure of more than 100 schools earlier this week.Scotland has already born the brunt of heavy snowfall, which made driving conditions hazardous and forced the closure of more than 100 schools earlier this week.
A Scottish government spokesman said: "Though we were enjoying record high temperatures around this time last year, we know that March normally brings us challenging weather conditions and this year is proving much more like the norm. Transport Scotland urged fans travelling to the World Cup qualifier between Scotland and Wales at Glasgow's Hampden stadium on Friday night to check travel information throughout the day in case of disruption.
"Already this week our agencies and partners have dealt with amber snow warnings across much of the country, and we continue to do all we can to ensure Scotland is prepared for any potential weather disruption." AA head of operations Darron Burness, meanwhile, has warned of "a real witches' brew of driving wind, rain and snow" for drivers across the UK.
The forecast is set to improve for Sunday, with drier but colder conditions moving in, the BBC Weather Centre predicts. "Drivers should be well prepared as even short journeys can quickly turn bad," he said.
"Wherever you're going, take plenty of warm layers, check the travel reports before heading out and stick to the main roads where possible."
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