Invergarry, Scotland, United Kingdom Severe Weather Alertstar_ratehome

A spell of strong southwesterly winds is likely to develop on Sunday evening. Initially in the south of the warning area, the swathe of strongest winds will move northwards across the area with time. Gusts around coasts could reach 60-70 mph with a small risk of 80 mph in the most exposed locations. Inland gusts of 40-50 mph are likely.

For further details see https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/warnings-and-advice/uk-warnings

Areas of heavy rain will affect western and northern Scotland on Sunday and Monday. During Sunday, as the rain initially moves in, this will readily fall as snow away from lower elevations near the west coast, but as it turns increasingly milder, snow will turn back to rain widely across the warning area. 

40-60 mm of rain could fall quite widely across the warning area, but 80-110 mm of rain is possible over parts of Skye, Lochaber, Argyll and the Trossachs. This coupled with a rapid thaw of lying snow brings the possibility of some flooding. 

For further details see https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/warnings-and-advice/uk-warnings

Information on update: Adjustments to headline, further details and what to expect, to add more focus on ice. A band of snow will move across the warning area during Sunday. Across northern England snow will mostly be confined to ground above 200 metres elevation, but across Scotland this could fall to low levels during the morning, before becoming increasingly confined to higher ground through the afternoon.

Whilst not all areas will see accumulating snow at low levels, 2 to 5 cm is likely in places, perhaps temporarily 10 cm before snow turns back to rain. Above 200 metres elevation 10 to 20 cm is possible, perhaps locally up to 30 cm on hills exposed to the strong southerly winds, and over the highest parts of Scotland. Strong winds will lead to some drifting of the snow.

Amounts of snow will depend quite heavily on both elevation and the intensity of precipitation, and as the band pushes east through the afternoon, it will begin to transition to an awkward mix of rain, sleet and snow. Therefore there is likely to be a lot of variation, even over relatively short distances.

In addition, there is a risk of freezing rain across the east of the area for a few hours after dawn on Sunday morning, perhaps leading to widespread ice that would affect all surfaces. Ice from freezing rain, also know as black ice or glaze, is difficult to see and difficult to clear.  



For further details see https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/warnings-and-advice/uk-warnings

A band of snow will move across the warning area during Sunday morning and early afternoon. Snow is expected to fall to low levels across the warning area during the morning before becoming increasingly confined to higher ground in the afternoon. 

2 to 5 cm is likely to low levels, with  10-15 cm above 150 metres elevation and locally 20-30 cm above 300 metres elevation. Strong winds will lead to some drifting of the snow and blizzard conditions, with deep drifts possible. 

During the afternoon, snow is likely to turn to sleet and then rain before it clears which will help to melt some of the snow at lower elevations, increasing the risk of flooding.

For further details see https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/warnings-and-advice/uk-warnings