Temperatures are expected to plunge well below freezing in parts of the UK overnight, with Friday dawning frosty and icy before Storm Bert strikes on the weekend.
The storm is set to reach the UK on Saturday and the Met Office is expecting it to bring “heavy rain, strong winds and disruptive snow to parts of the UK through the weekend”, and to potentially cause travel disruption and flooding.
On Thursday evening, the Met Office said it will be “another night for the thick duvet and extra blankets” – with overnight temperatures “falling well below freezing where there is a covering of snow”.
The forecasting body said many will wake up to a frost with icy surfaces in places, with a graphic on the weather service’s social media indicating it may fall to minus 10C in northern Scotland overnight.
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 meteorologist Honor Criswick said: “Overnight we’re expecting a sharp frost and some icy stretches so do take care. So another cold night on offer, particularly in those brisk northerly winds.
“Through into Friday, those snow showers are set to continue mainly around coastal areas though once again still a few feeding inland at times.
“There will also still be plenty of autumnal sunshine. Still feeling cold though, particularly in those brisk winds – once again we’re only looking at highs of around 5C, slightly higher in the south west around 7C.
“Across the north those temperatures struggling to move past 2-3C.
“As we head into Friday evening, a change is on its way as we introduce Storm Bert moving its way in from the Atlantic. So we’ll see clouds spilling in from the south west with outbreaks of rain – this heavy at times by the time we reach Saturday morning.”
Ms Criswick said there are likely to be “heavy” outbreaks of rain throughout Saturday, “falling as snow” at times across northern parts of England and parts of Scotland.
The wintry weather affected education, with more than 114 schools shut in the Highland Council area on Thursday because of snow, including Inverness Royal Academy where pupils were told their prelim exams planned for the day will be rescheduled.
Almost 40 schools in Aberdeenshire were also shut while many others had delayed openings, and in Moray around 12 were closed and others opened late.
It comes 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 on Thursday, 18 in Dorset and 60 in Cornwall, while in Wales around 10 were closed in Conwy, 18 in Denbighshire and two in Wrexham.
