UK weather: Snow, sleet and rain forecast for the weekend

14 December 2019, 10:35

Wintery showers are expected to blight the UK this weekend with strong winds and snow across higher ground.

Many people are also likely to see snow over the weekend, experts warn.

Met Office forecaster Craig Smell told LBC News: "The weekend is expected to be a mixed bag, with a lot of changes and unsettled weather.

"Most of the country will see persistent rain, with this turning to snow across Scotland, northern England and Wales.

"This may also move across to the midlands as the day goes on."

He also warned that although most of the country will be facing lashings of rain, some areas will see sleet and snow.

Overnight, hill snow across the higher ground may lead to icy patches in clear spots.

People are being warned to take care on the roads due to slippery ice patches and allow more time for Sunday morning journeys.

Temperatures are expected to be at 9C or 10C at best in the south, with the north seeing an average of 4C to 7C.

Mr Smell said: "Strong winds will make the temperatures feel even colder. Anyone heading out should wrap up warm."

Overnight, there is going to be sleet and hill snow in the north, with the Peaks, Pennines and Cumbrian Fells worst affected.

Moving into Sunday, the Met Offie predicts rain and showers heading in from the west, which will become wintery over the higher ground.

The driest weather will be along the east coast, but the whole country is at risk of rain, sleet and hill snow.

It comes after Storm Atiyah battered Britain last week, with danger to life weather warnings put in place and gale force winds causing chaos across the country.

In Leicestershire, a driver became stranded in floodwater and had to be rescued from his car in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Firefighters used an inflatable sled to pull him from the floodwater on Watery Gate Lane, Thurlaston, at 4.05am.

His Fiat 500 remains partially submerged in the water as he arranges its recovery, according to a spokesperson for Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service.

Watery Gate Lane is notorious for flooding, and at least 19 people needed rescuing from the road between 2014 and 2018, along with several more this year.

The local authority, Blaby District Council, said it wanted to install gates to stop drivers using the road when water levels are high earlier this month.