This article is more than 7 months old

This article is more than 7 months old

Snow and ice could cause travel disruption on Wednesday before Britain is struck by another burst of heavy rain and gales from Storm Dennis over the weekend.

People in Cumbria, Northumberland and vast swaths of Scotland have been warned of “blizzard conditions” by the Met Office as snow showers combine with strong winds.

The regions are the subject of a yellow weather warning with up to 10cm of snow forecast in higher areas, while Northern Ireland could have further snow showers, forecasters said.

Dennis, the fourth named storm of the 2019-20 season, is set to bring a second consecutive weekend of wet and windy weather after Ciara struck the UK with winds of up to 97mph.

Play Video 1:12 Building collapses into river as Storm Ciara batters Scotland – video

Gusts of 50mph were expected, with more than 60mph winds possible over hills, coastal areas and exposed locations, the Met Office said. Predicted heavy rain could also lead to further flooding, with 43 warnings in place in England, six in Scotland and one in Wales following recent heavy rainfall.

About 730 properties were believed to have been affected by flooding in recent days, the Environment Agency said, as it warned of more wet weather from the new storm.

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The Queensferry Crossing, the bridge that connects Edinburgh and Fife, remained closed on Wednesday morning resulting in commuter chaos and lengthy tailbacks along the 35-mile diversion necessary for drivers.

The £1.35bn bridge, which opened to traffic in August 2017 and had been hailed as a crossing that would remain open in all weathers, has been closed since Monday night when snow and ice fell from cables on the bridge causing damage to eight vehicles, resulting in strong criticism of the Scottish government after reports that ice sensors had not been fully installed.

Overnight in southern Scotland, mountain rescue teams were called out to rescue drivers stranded in their vehicles in extreme conditions. Moffat mountain rescue said 12 people were helped to safety after their cars became stuck on the A702, near Durisdeer village, Dumfries and Galloway.

Travel disruption is expected to continue into Wednesday morning, with more snow and ice forecast across Scotland and a Met Office yellow warning in place in most areas until midday.

Caroline Douglass, a flood duty manager at the Environment agency, said: “River and surface water flooding is possible on Saturday into Sunday due to Storm Dennis and we are advising people to check their flood risk and to stay safe on the coast or when walking or driving near swollen rivers.”

She also warned people against taking “dangerous” storm selfies.

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The chief meteorologist, Steve Ramsdale, said: “Another spell of very wet and windy weather is expected for Saturday. Although Storm Dennis is not expected to be as severe as Ciara, disruption is still likely.”