Up to four inches of snow is expected in parts of Britain next week as Storm Ciara brings blizzard conditions to the UK this weekend.

Named on Wednesday, the low-pressure system is currently developing in the North Atlantic and will head eastwards towards the country over the coming days.

The Met Office has issued weather warnings over four days from Saturday and there could be gusts of up to 80mph in coastal areas and exposed locations.

Here's the latest on #StormCiara who will bring wet and very windy weather to the UK this weekend 🌬️🌧️



Stay up to date with warnings 👉🏾⚠️ https://t.co/JSZ8HPCi4R #WeatherAware pic.twitter.com/bu6s9J3ROF — Met Office (@metoffice) February 6, 2020

On Saturday, strong winds are expected for Northern Ireland, Scotland and the north of England, which could cause some travel delays on roads, railways and affect ferry services.

Image: Strong winds are expected on Saturday

Heavy rain is forecast for the whole of the UK on Sunday, with flooding of homes and businesses likely, and spray on roads could make journeys longer.


The north will bear the brunt of the bad weather, with a warning that strong winds could cause danger to life from flying debris, such as tiles blown from roofs.

Image: Heavy rain is forecast for most of the UK on Sunday and the north will also face strong winds

The Met Office also says some roads and bridges may close, there could be power cuts and potential injuries or danger to life from large waves and beach material being thrown onto sea fronts and coastal roads and properties.

Sky's weather producer Christopher England says Storm Ciara will bring "potentially disruptive gales, severe gales or storm force winds over the weekend, then it will turn colder, with heavy, squally and increasingly wintry showers moving into the north and west."

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He added: "There'll be some snow to quite low levels in the north, while between two and four inches (5-10cm) are likely over northwestern hills, mainly over about 300m.

"With winds still gusting to over 50mph, there'll be blizzard conditions at times and drifting of lying snow."

Forecasters have issued a warning for rain and snow for Northern Ireland and Scotland between midnight on Monday and midday on Tuesday.

Image: Strong winds and snow is forecast for Scotland and Northern Ireland on Monday and Tuesday

They say there is a chance of travel delays on roads with some stranded vehicles and passengers, along with delayed or cancelled rail and air travel and power cuts are also possible.

Delays for high-sided vehicles on exposed routes and bridges are also likely.

Storm Ciara is the third named storm of the 2019/20 winter season, and follows Storm Atiyah, which hit between 8-9 December, and Storm Brendan, which brought wind and rain to the country in mid-January.