Snowstorms are set to return to the UK this weekend with the newly christened Storm Ber bringing another Arctic to various parts of the country.
Though it might sound dramatic, both the Met Office and energy supplier British Gas have advice available on preparing for snow storms, with recommendations on what to do and how to make sure you have the right things at home to help cope if the snow does come down and ends up being heavy.
The Met Office has forecast snow and ice for various parts of the UK today and Friday, with a fresh yellow weather warning for snow affecting areas including Birmingham, Manchester, Nottingham, Leicester and North Wales as well as parts of Yorkshire including Sheffield and much of Scotland, with the warning starting at 12 midday on Thursday and continuing until 10am on Friday.
Then, even more warnings have been issued for Saturday, including a rarer and more serious amber warning for snow in parts of Scotland.
Other areas will also be facing snow and rain, including Yorkshire, Newcastle and the North East, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Stoke and Nottingham, while other parts of the country including Wales and the South West of England are facing a heavy rain warning.
The Met Office advises that people should prepare in the event of being cut off due to disruption. It says: “People cope better when they have prepared in advance for the risk of power cuts or being cut off from services and amenities due to the snow. It’s easy to do; consider gathering torches and batteries, a mobile phone power pack and other essential items.”
And British Gas, in its advice on preparing for heavy snow, says UK households should have 7 key items ready, including spare batteries, drinking water, extra blankets and a phone charger.
It says: “That’s things like medicines, drinking water, non-perishable food and snacks, and extra blankets. You should also keep a torch, batteries and a phone charger close by too.”
The Met Office in its Saturday forecast says: “Outbreaks of rain will spread northeastwards on Saturday, preceded by a spell of snow across parts of northern England and Scotland. Whilst snow will become increasingly confined to higher elevations with time, there is the chance of a transient period of snow to low levels in some areas, with perhaps as much as 5-10 cm accumulating in places, especially the Vale of York, before turning back to rain.
“Temporary snow accumulations of 10-20 cm are possible on ground above 150m, with perhaps as much as 20-40 cm above 300m.
“In conjunction with strengthening winds, difficult driving conditions are likely, especially over higher level routes, with possibly some interruptions to power supplies. In addition, the rapid thaw of lying snow as milder air arrives, with perhaps an additional 20-40 mm of rain in some upland areas during Saturday night, will lead to a greater likelihood of rainfall impacts later in the period.”