Amber warning for further snow in Scotland

A complex mix of snow, heavy rain, strong winds and possibly freezing rain will mark an end to the cold spell that has been in place across the UK since the start of the year. A low pressure system to the northwest of the UK will drive milder air and strong winds across the UK on Sunday. With cold air in place across the north, snow is likely to accumulate before turning to rain later on Sunday. For Northern Ireland, Wales and the southern half of England this will largely fall as rain.

Within the Amber warning area in eastern Scotland snow accumulations of 5-15cm are likely at relatively low levels with potentially up to 20-30cm over higher elevations within the Highlands and Aberdeenshire. A much wider Yellow warning for snow and ice covers the majority of Scotland as well as much of northern England. While snow accumulations are to be lower here, there is still a chance of 2-5cm at low levels and temporarily 10-20 cm over higher ground before snow turns to rain later in the day.

As milder air progresses eastwards, rain becomes more of a hazard, with Yellow rain warnings issued for western and northern Scotland, southwest Scotland and Northern Ireland. 80-100mm of rain could accumulate in the western Scotland warning area through Sunday and into Monday, which along with snow melt could cause some flooding impacts. In Northern Ireland accumulations could reach 40-60mm over higher ground.

As snow transitions to rain there is a risk of some freezing rain for a time, especially across parts of east Scotland and northeast England. Where this occurs, it could lead to ice forming very quickly on all surfaces.

It'll be a windy day too, with the strongest gusts across Scotland and along the coasts of Northern Ireland. A Yellow warning for wind has been issued, warning for gusts of 45-60mph widely with 70mph gusts possible in the Western Isles and Northern Isles.

Met Office Chief Forecaster, Rebekah Hicks, said: "Sunday will see a disruptive spell of weather as the UK transitions into a milder air mass, marking an end to the cold spell we've had since the start of the year. Low pressure will drive milder air in from the west and where this interacts with the cold air, we'll see notable snow accumulations in already impacted areas of Scotland. Parts of the Highlands could see a further 20-30cm of snow. This will coincide with strong winds, making Sunday an impactful day of weather.

"Snow will turn to rain through the day, with the possibility of freezing rain for a time which could lead to some extremely hazardous conditions with ice forming instantly on all surfaces. With heavy rain and snow melt as temperatures climb, there is a risk of flooding in some areas too.

"With numerous severe weather warnings in place, it is important to stay up to date with the forecast as well as information from local responders and authorities."

Flood risk

The Scottish Government's Resilience Room (SGORR) met on Friday afternoon, and is meeting again this weekend, to consider the ongoing response to the severe weather in northern Scotland, with ongoing snow and ice impacts and a combination of melting snow and rain increasing the flood risk for some in the coming days.

Scottish Justice Secretary, Angela Constance, said: "As we enter a second consecutive weekend of weather warnings with continued snowfall and cold conditions forecast, I appreciate parts of Scotland are still not back to normal. While progress on recovery by partners continues at pace, I again want to thank the public for their patience and understanding that full recovery takes time.

"If anyone affected is isolated or needs help or assistance, they should not hesitate to seek help from their local authority, health board or other public service.

"Warnings for snow and ice are in place across most of Scotland for much of the weekend making driving conditions dangerous and increasing the risk to slips and falls.

"Later on Sunday, snow will start to transition to rain or sleet and flooding impacts are likely in northwest Scotland, with a low risk of minor river and surface water flooding affecting low lying land, roads and properties.

"Taken together, it's therefore really important for people to continue to plan ahead this weekend and check the range of weather, travel and flooding advice available.

"Ministers will continue to do everything that we can to monitor and manage the situation."

Pascal Lardet, SEPA Flood Duty Manager, added: "With rainfall forecast to move into south west Scotland on Sunday and then spread north and as temperatures rise following recent cold conditions, rain and thaw of lying snow from Sunday onwards will increase the risk of flooding. Possible impacts could include flooding of low lying land, roads and individual properties. Keep up to date on the latest information by checking our three-day Scottish Flood Forecast ."

People are encouraged to sign up to the Floodline service to receive free updates for where they live, or where they're travelling through, directly to their phone. People can also check flood updates for all the latest updates and have a look at the three day Scottish Flood Forecast to see what's expected further ahead.

Advice for severe weather

With multiple types of severe weather impacting the UK over the next couple of days, the Met Office's WeatherReady campaignoffers practical advice to help you prepare your home, garden, and daily routines for winter weather. 

With strong winds, snow and ice accretion there is a chance of some power outages. People cope better with power cuts when they have prepared for them in advance and it's easy to do. The essentials that could help you cope with a power cut are:

• candles and matches or lighters,
• torches and batteries,
• a mobile phone power pack

If your power goes out these simple steps can help you deal with the situation:

• Switch off all electrical appliances that shouldn't be left unattended, ready for when the power comes back on.
• Leave a light on, so you know when the power cut has been fixed.
• Check to see if your neighbours are safe and if they have a power cut too. If they have power, your trip switch may have activated.
• Wrap up. If it's cold, wrap up warm and close internal doors to keep the heat in.
• Portable heaters are a good alternative if heating systems are down.
• Call 105 for information, it's a free service for people in England, Scotland and Wales.

Take time to check if your property is at risk of flooding through SEPA, the Environment Agency, Natural Resources Walesand NI Direct.

Saturday weather

Before this spell of disruptive weather, conditions have improved after Storm Goretti, with a brighter and more settled day for many on Saturday. Wintry showers, with snow on high ground, will continue to affect parts of north and northwest Scotland until later in the day.

Turning milder next week

Strong winds will continue into Monday morning in Northern Ireland and western Scotland where gusts of 60-70mph could bring further disruption to the start of the week. After this, temperatures will return closer to average for most through next week, with a south-westerly regime dominant. This also brings with it the likelihood of further unsettled weather at times with a risk of further heavy rain in places.

You can find the latest forecast on our website, on YouTube, by following us on X and Facebook, as well as on our mobile appwhich is available for iPhone from the App store and for Android from the Google Playstore.