Yellow warnings issued for band of sleet, hail, snow and lightning that could cause power outages and travel disruption
Forecasters say “thundersnow” that could disrupt travel and cause power outages is expected to hit the UK as a band of sleet, hail and snow showers passes through the country.
The Met Office issued three yellow warnings for dangerous weather conditions, including lightning strikes from isolated thunderstorms and as much as 10cm of snow falling on the highest ground, from 10am on Thursday until 11am on Friday across Scotland, Wales and northern England.
In the Scottish Highlands, from 8pm on Thursday until 11am on Friday there will be “frequent sleet, hail and snow showers may lead to some disruption to travel during Thursday night and Friday morning”, with longer journey times expected for some roads and railways, icy patches and possible brief power outages.
In the south of Scotland, including Glasgow, and in parts of Northern Ireland and in England north of Manchester , snow will cause some travel disruption from 10am until 4pm on Thursday, according to a separate warning. The Met Office said there would up to two hours of snow in many areas with a risk of temporary slushy accumulations above 100 to 200 metres and strong winds leading to temporary blizzard conditions in higher areas.