Storm Pedro Brings More Rain and Snow to the UK
A weather system, named Storm Pedro, is forecast to bring rain and snow to Britain today and tomorrow. The storm's impact is expected to be more significant in France, where it is named by Meteo France, the French equivalent of the Met Office.
Despite the ongoing cold and wet conditions, forecasters predict 'much milder' temperatures for the UK by the end of the week. Sky News Weather meteorologist Dr. Chris England explains that the jet stream has been to the south of the UK, allowing high pressure over Scandinavia to feed cold air from northern Europe across Britain and, to a lesser extent, Ireland and Northern Ireland.
However, the jet stream will move north over the next few days, with a much milder Atlantic flow developing. Dr. England states, 'The rain and snow will mostly clear tomorrow, with milder air following. Expect more rain on Friday.'
The snow set for the UK on Wednesday and Thursday is forecast for the hills, while the impact of Pedro on this side of the Channel is expected to be relatively light. Despite this, the Met Office warns of a small chance of disruption caused by flooding, snow, and strong winds, which could lead to cancelled flights and train services and stranded vehicles on roads.
There are currently yellow warnings for rain in southern England, with hill snow forecast for Wales and the West Midlands. Many in the south of England faced a wet start on Wednesday, with a yellow warning for heavy rain in force for an area stretching from Cornwall to Kent until 8 am on Thursday. Some 10-20mm of rain is expected to fall widely, although areas near the south coast could see up to 30mm of rain, while Dartmoor, Devon, could have as much as 50mm, the Met Office said.
A separate yellow warning for snow in the West Midlands and Wales will run from 4 pm on Wednesday until 6 am on Thursday. In Northern Ireland, outbreaks of rain, hill snow, and strong gusts of up to 50-55 mph winds are expected to bring disruption, with a yellow warning in force until 8 pm on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, a cold health alert was issued for much of England, covering the South West, the Midlands, the North East, the North West, and Yorkshire and The Humber. The UK Health Security Agency, which generally only issues warnings for England, said the cold weather was likely to pose 'a greater risk to life of vulnerable people' and prompt an increased use of healthcare services.
Senior Met Office meteorologist Craig Snell said, 'By the time we get into the late part of the day on Thursday, the winds should be clearing away. It's all change after that; by the weekend, it will be feeling much, much milder with temperatures reaching the low-to-mid teens, if we see some sunshine. There will be further spells of wind and rain, but most of us will certainly see an uplift of temperatures as we go into the weekend.'
Meanwhile, Spain and Portugal are expected to be affected by Storm Pedro in the next few days. The Spanish weather agency, AEMET, is currently predicting snowstorms and winds of around 75 mph in some parts of the country.
