Mercury To Plunge As Icy 100mph Winds Sweep UK

Icy storm-force winds are expected to sweep the country, with plummeting temperatures and snowfall predicted as far south as Birmingham.

The Met Office has issued its strongest warning - a red alert - for winds in Scotland and warned parts of England and Wales to "be aware".

A spokeswoman for the Met Office said: "We do not issue red warnings lightly. That is why people need to take heed of it and take appropriate action."

Southern and central Scotland are covered by the red alert for winds of up to 100mph for 24 hours from Thursday morning.

Northern England and the rest of Scotland are on amber alert for 60mph winds, and a yellow alert - meaning "be aware" - is in place for the Midlands and north Wales.

The Scottish Government said schools in the west, central and southern areas may not open or close early, following expert advice which could see motorists warned to avoid travelling altogether.

The Government said its resilience committee met on Wednesday night.

Ministers, along with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (Cosla) , heard from the Met Office's chief forecaster and the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (Acpos) .

Winds of up to 100mph have been forecast, with the strongest gusts expected to hit the west of Scotland and the central belt from 12pm and from 3pm in the east of the central belt, affecting rush hour.

The gales, which will continue into the evening, are expected to arrive as early as 7am.

Ministers have advised councils in the west of the country not to open schools in the morning, while those in the east have been advised that they should close at 12pm ahead of the worst of the weather.

It had earlier been confirmed that schools would close from lunchtime in the Borders, Renfrewshire, East Renfrewshire and Stirling council areas.

North Ayrshire recommended that parents keep children at home and said its schools would be closing early. North Lanarkshire Council said it was "likely" its schools would be shut.

The Government said travel conditions could be "dangerous" and that road users may experience severe delays of several hours or more.

In particular, high sided vehicles, HGVs and buses are advised not to travel during the periods specified.

Deputy first minister Nicola Sturgeon said: "The very latest information from the Met Office's chief forecaster which we received shows that we can expect very severe gales, at wind speeds not seen for many years, across large parts of western, central and southern Scotland throughout Thursday."

She added: "More generally, it is clear that there will be widespread disruption across the transport network, and the real possibility that key bridges will be closed for a time to all traffic."