Met Office issues snow and ice warning for North

As the north of England recovers from Storm Frank, the Met Office has revealed it has been the second wettest December in more than 100 years with yellow warnings of heavy rain in place for flood hit areas in the north of the country and the south west.

‘This weekend will bring showers to the north and west with snow over the mountains in Wales and Scotland’.

“Following a brief respite on Saturday night, a further frontal system will bring more rain to these same areas through Sunday morning before clearing away north-eastwards during Sunday afternoon”, it said on its website.

“Around 60 mm is likely on the highest parts of Dartmoor”.

Given that the ground is already saturated, forecasters say there may be local disruption from surface water and some flooding around rivers.

A Met Office spokesman said: “Bands of heavy, prolonged showers are expected to affect much of southwest England from late on Sunday onwards into the first half of Tuesday”.

The Christmas period was also unsettled, wet and mild. The widespread flooding directly affected thousands of homes and businesses, and many thousands more suffered lengthy power cuts due to flooded electricity sub-stations.

She said: “The links to El Nino are certainly very clear in the set up of large waves in the atmospheric circulation, which we expect to see in these events”.

Leon Brown, forecaster for The Weather Channel UK, said Britain is about to become the target for more heavy rain, fierce winds and snow.

“The armchair meteorologists who continue to insist this is all just weather are starting to sound a little bit like Aunty Mabel expressing surprise at her remarkable luck in boardgames”, Professor Allen said.

“Temperatures generally nearer normal with the source of our weather no longer the subtropical Atlantic but northern Atlantic”.