UK weather news: Met Office drops wind but adds lightning to snow forecast alert - temperatures to hit -5°C

The Met Office issued a weather warning for wind and snow on Tuesday however this was updated on Wednesday to reflect a change to snow and lightning.
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The Met Office has updated a weather warning for Glasgow and much of Scotland to reflect a change from wind and snow to lightning and snow.

The update means the warning will be active between 5.00pm on Wednesday and 8.00pm on Thursday.

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This latest band of unsettled weather follows hot on the heels of Storms Dudley, Eunice and Franklin.

All three storms battered parts of the UK, including Glasgow, within a five day period last week.

Next on the list is Storm Gladys and while there is a chance it could hit the UK this week, it has not been confirmed by the Met Office.

Temperatures across Scotland and Northern Ireland are expected to drop sharply following a squally band of rain on Wednesday, with frequent heavy and blustery snow showers arriving from the Atlantic,” said the Met Office.

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“Away from immediate west-facing coasts, 1 to 3 cm, and in places 3 to 7 cm of snow is likely to build up even at low levels, whereas on higher ground some places could see 10 to 20 cm building up by Thursday morning.”

The Met Office added: “The showers will be accompanied by strong, blustery winds, with gusts of 45-55 mph possible, and a chance of 65 mph on coasts.

“Blizzard conditions are likely over higher ground. There is a small chance that some of the showers could be accompanied by frequent lightning, which could impact power supplies, including some places outside of the warning area.

“Snow showers are increasingly likely to turn back to rain and sleet at low levels later Thursday morning and early afternoon, although remaining as snow above 200-300m.”

What to expect:

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- There is a small chance of longer journey times or cancellations as road, rail, air and ferry services are affected. There is also a chance some vehicles and passengers could become stranded.

- There is a slight chance that power cuts may occur, with the potential to affect other services, such as mobile phone coverage.

- There is a slight chance that some rural communities could become cut off.

- A small chance of injuries and danger to life from lightning strikes.

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- Where lightning strikes occur, there is a small chance that building/structures could be damaged.

The feels like temperature in Glasgow tonight could be as low as 5.The feels like temperature in Glasgow tonight could be as low as 5.
The feels like temperature in Glasgow tonight could be as low as 5.

Strathclyde weather forecast

Wednesday February 23 - Sunday February 27

Today:

A mainly dry start before a band of rain moves southeast through the day, with snow on the hills. Scattered showers following in behind, and turning wintry later in the afternoon in the north. Strong to gale southwesterly winds. Maximum temperature 8 °C.

Tonight:

Frequent snow showers continuing with some low level accumulations and icy stretches developing by morning. Brisk southwesterly wind, easing towards the end of the night. Minimum temperature 0 °C.

Thursday:

Cold with snow showers continuing through the morning, perhaps becoming heavy, thundery and persistent at times with accumulations possible to low levels, before turning more sleety later. Strong southewesterly winds. Maximum temperature 5 °C.

Outlook for Friday to Sunday:

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Drier, brighter and less windy Friday but milder and windier again Saturday, with occasional rain later. Mostly dry, bright and less windy for a time on Sunday, but strengthening later.

An aerial view of the River Clyde in the snow.  An aerial view of the River Clyde in the snow.
An aerial view of the River Clyde in the snow.

When is a storm named?

The criteria we use for naming storms is based on our National Severe Weather Warnings service. This is based on a combination of both the impact the weather may have, and the likelihood of those impacts occurring.

A storm will be named when it has the potential to cause an amber or red warning.

Other weather types will also be considered, specifically rain if its impact could lead to flooding as advised by the Environment Agency, SEPA and Natural Resources Wales flood warnings. Therefore ‘storm systems’ could be named on the basis of impacts from the wind but also include the impacts of rain and snow.

 A view of a fishing trawler leaving Troon Harbour on February 21, 2022 in Troon, United Kingdom. Storm Franklin, which has prompted flood warnings and severe weather alerts across the UK, is the third storm to hit the UK in a week, following Eunice and Dudley. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) A view of a fishing trawler leaving Troon Harbour on February 21, 2022 in Troon, United Kingdom. Storm Franklin, which has prompted flood warnings and severe weather alerts across the UK, is the third storm to hit the UK in a week, following Eunice and Dudley. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)
A view of a fishing trawler leaving Troon Harbour on February 21, 2022 in Troon, United Kingdom. Storm Franklin, which has prompted flood warnings and severe weather alerts across the UK, is the third storm to hit the UK in a week, following Eunice and Dudley. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

How is a storm named?

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When the criteria for naming a storm are met, either the Met Office, Met Éireann or KNMI can name a storm.

We then let the public, our partners in government and the responder community and the media know through various routes including publishing details on our website and social media channels.

You can also follow the Met Office on Facebook or Twitter for the latest updates.

Snow covered  cars in Glasgow in 2018. (Photo: ANDY BUCHANAN/AFP via Getty Images)Snow covered  cars in Glasgow in 2018. (Photo: ANDY BUCHANAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Snow covered cars in Glasgow in 2018. (Photo: ANDY BUCHANAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Why are there no storms for Q, U, X, Y and Z?

To ensure we are in line with the US National Hurricane Centre naming conventions, we are not going to include names which begin with the letters Q, U, X, Y and Z. This will maintain consistency for official storm naming in the North Atlantic.

How are storm names chosen?

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Earlier this year the Met Office asked people to send in their ideas for future storm names. We received thousands of suggestions and this years list has been compiled from these public suggestions, plus suggestions from Met Éireann and KNMI, choosing some of the more popular names and names that reflect the diversity of Britain, Ireland and the Netherlands.

(Source: The Met Office)

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