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Snow, rain and gale force winds set to blast Britain as country braces for washout weekend
6 January 2023, 08:33 | Updated: 6 January 2023, 08:35
Britain is set to be hit with heavy rain and even some snow again this weekend, as the new year gets off to a damp start.
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Thursday was mild for people across the UK, but the Met Office warned that wet conditions would return on Saturday and Sunday for much of the country.
The meteorologists issued a yellow warning for gale force winds in central and northern Scotland, while flood warnings are also in place for parts of England and Wales.
"High winds will cause travel disruption and bring difficult driving conditions, especially on exposed bridges, causeways and higher routes.”
It continues: “Some delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport are likely. Delays for high-sided vehicles on exposed routes and bridges likely. Some short term loss of power and other services is possible.
"It’s likely that some coastal routes, sea fronts and coastal communities will be affected by spray and/or large waves.”
Some snowfall is also expected in parts of Scotland as temperatures drop over the weekend and at the start of next week, according to forecasting site WXC charts.
There could be even more snow in mid-January in Scotland as well as northern England.
BBC weather forecaster Darren Bett said: "We’ve got this strong and blustery wind, that’s going to feed in some sunshine but we are also going to find quite a few showers, some of those are going to be heavy and it is just about cold enough for a little bit of snow over the tops of the mountains."
His corporation colleague Ben Rich added: "The week ahead does bring some slightly chillier weather at times but certainly nothing unusually cold for this time of year."
Looking ahead he said: "Our area of low pressure is likely to pass to the north west of the UK as we move through Saturday night into Sunday.
He said he was expecting "some quite strong and gusty winds and there will be frequent showers on Sunday, some heavy with hail and thunder.
Read more: Yellow weather alerts issued for ice in northern England and Scotland
"Perhaps wintry in the north because it will be a little chillier by this stage 7C to 9C but that is not unusual for this time of year."