A POLAR vortex snow bomb is set to bury Britain this weekend as weather warnings stretch up and down the UK.

Ice, snow and wind warnings are in place for the next 24 hours with up to six inches of the white stuff expected to fall across the north.

The huge weather system – shown blowing to Britain on a satellite image – has been dubbed the "Beast from the West" by The Weather Outlook.

Ex-BBC and Met Office forecaster John Hammond of Weathertrending said: "The Polar Vortex is strong so the jet stream is in rude health.

"A strong Polar Vortex favours a stronger jet stream, which is when stormy weather tends to occur.”

A Met Office yellow warning for snow is in place until Saturday night for much of Scotland, Northern Ireland and the north east of England, while wind and rain are forecast for Wales with high winds expected on the south coast.

And motorists have been warned to drive carefully as the mix of sleet and snow becomes "wet and clingy", forecasters warned.

Heavy downpours have seen the M66 motorway closed in both directions near junction 1 Ramsbottom in Bury, Greater Manchester, with 23 flood warnings currently in place.

An "increased likelihood" of accidents and injuries have been warned of as patches of ice cover roads across the country while wind gusts of 65mph have been forecast.

One hundred snowploughs and 1,000 gritters – 500 in northern England and 500 in Scotland – are on standby as the wintry weather descends from the coast of Ireland.

Police Scotland issued a warning to motorists as ice warnings are expected to remain in place into Sunday.

Met Office meteorologist Luke Miall said snow was expected to blanket much of the north.

He said: "It's mainly higher ground but that will affect some of the routes that travel across the Highlands and central parts of Scotland.

"The other warning we have in force is for wind and that covers pretty much everywhere from north-west England down through Wales and then southern counties of England including London.

"Here we will see some pretty strong winds through the day gusting 45mph to 55mph quite widely within that area."

Be in control of your bills – and save an average of £219

SWITCHCRAFT is a free service that finds you the right energy deal – and you could save an average of £219 a year.

• Sign up, compare and switch with Switchcraft
• You’ll automatically be switched at the end of your new plan when a cheaper deal comes up
• Get £5 free cashback when you sign up

A fiver will be paid into your bank account within four months of completing the switch. prepayment meter customer customers will receive a £5 Amazon voucher. Open to those 18 and over. UK residents only. Click here for full T&Cs.

Temperatures will vary throughout the UK from around 12C to 13C in the south while some areas of Scotland will struggle to get above freezing, Mr Miall said.

The Met Office has not yet named the building weather system – but if it is judged disruptive enough it will be called Hannah.

The weather warnings come days after Storm Gareth wreaked havoc across the country with 99mph winds.

Gareth was the largest named storm to affect Britain since Storm Doris on February 23, 2017, Met Office maps of past short storms showed.

The storm underwent "explosive cyclogenesis" – becoming what is known as a weather bomb – as its air pressure plunged by over 24 milibars in 24 hours.

Three climbers died on Tuesday after being caught in an avalanche on Ben Nevis, Britain's highest mountain, following heavy snowfall in Scotland.

Source: Read Full Article