Met Office issues NEW amber snow warning with 16 inches set to fall in 11 areas

The Met Office has issued a warning to the UK and upgraded yellow alerts to amber ahead of heavy snowfall. Storm Bert will bring a spell of heavy snow, leading to some disruption on Saturday November 23 and t ravel delays on roads are likely, stranding some vehicles and passengers, the Met Office said.

Power cuts are likely and other services, such as mobile phone coverage, may be affected. There is a good chance that some rural communities could become cut off. Some delays and cancellations to rail travel are likely. Untreated pavements and cycle paths likely to be impassable.

Injuries from slips and falls are likely on icy surfaces. The Met Office said: "Heavy snow will spread northeastwards on Saturday morning, giving significant accumulations in many areas. Accumulations of 10-20 cm are likely on ground typically above 200m, with potentially as much as 20-40 cm on hills above 400m.

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"Snow will eventually revert to rain during Saturday afternoon, but may be preceded by a short spell of freezing rain in places adding to the ice risk. Strengthening winds will lead to drifting of lying snow, with difficult travelling conditions likely on higher level routes, and the risk of interruptions to power supplies. A fairly rapid thaw of lying snow is then likely on Saturday night as milder air moves in."

Regions affected by the amber alert include Central, Tayside & Fife, Angus, Perth and Kinross, Stirling, Grampian, Aberdeenshire, Highlands & Eilean Siar, Highland, Strathclyde, and Argyll and Bute. There are yellow warnings from the Met Office for further snow and wintry conditions until Sunday.

A new weather warning has been put in place today for snow and ice and so there are now alerts which cover nearly the full length of the country. The alert runs from 12pm today until 10am on Saturday and it highlights difficult travel conditions.

"Wintry showers and icy patches are expected this evening and overnight, perhaps leading to some travel disruption," states the Met Office.