Met Office weather maps show exactly when and where snow will fall as Storm Éowyn hits

-Credit:PA
-Credit:PA


Storm Éowyn is forecast to bring heavy snow to some parts of the UK this week.

The fifth named storm of the season is currently forming over the Atlantic and is set to batter the UK with strong winds from Thursday night. The Met Office has warned that some areas could see wind gusts of more than 80mph.

The storm could cause power cuts, travel disruption, damage to buildings and injuries from flying debris, forecasters have warned.

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The Met Office has issued yellow wind warnings from midnight on Friday covering most of the UK, including the south-west of England, the Midlands, northern England, Northern Ireland and Scotland. The weather agency issued an additional warning from midnight on Saturday to late afternoon that day across Scotland and the far north of England.

While the biggest impacts are likely to be from the strong winds and heavy rainfall, the Met Office has predicted snow across some areas of the UK as the storm hits.

Met Office spokeswoman Andrea Bishop said: “Storm Eowyn will bring a period of very unsettled, potentially disruptive, weather to the UK through Friday and into Saturday. Pronounced ‘Ay-oh-win’, the system will begin to influence the UK’s weather on Friday, with strengthening winds initially in north-western parts of the UK with accompanying heavy rainfall.”

The change to conditions is being caused by a powerful jet stream pushing low pressure across the Atlantic and towards the UK, following a recent cold spell over North America, the Met Office said.

The Manchester Evening News has taken a look at the Met Office's weather maps for the next few days, which pinpoint when and where snow is likely to fall.

Thursday

The Met Office says the UK will see "a major change" in the weather from Thursday as heavy rain moves eastwards throughout the day. High rainfall accumulations are likely in western parts of Scotland, England and Wales, where 20mm to 30mm could fall in places, the weather agency predicted.

Weather map showing snow, rain and hail at midday Thursday
From midday on Thursday, snow is forecast to fall in Scotland over Ben Nevis and the Cairngorms as well as over the Yorkshire Dales and Pennines in England. Other parts of northern England could see heavy rain or hail showers. -Credit:Met Office

Snow is likely to fall over high ground in the northern half of the country, especially over the Scottish mountains. From midday, weather maps suggest there will be some snowfall over areas of high ground such as Ben Nevis and around the Cairngorms.

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In England, snow is likely to fall over the Yorkshire Dales and the Pennines, while other parts of northern England are more likely to see heavy rain or hail showers.

Weather map showing snow in Scotland at Thursday 6pm
By 6pm, more of Scotland is likely to see some snowfall, including large parts of the Highlands and areas around South Lanarkshire -Credit:Met Office

By the evening, snow is likely to cover a wider area of Scotland, according to the maps. Large parts of the Scottish Highlands are likely to see snow, as are areas around South Lanarkshire.

There could also be some snowfall over high ground in northern England and Wales, while Manchester is forecast hail.

Friday

By Friday morning, the UK will be feeling the impact of Storm Éowyn with heavy rain across much of the south of England, the Midlands and Wales. Wind speeds will also start to pick up, with weather warning coming into force from midnight.

At 3am, heavy snow if expected to cover much of the west of Northern Ireland, while other areas will see hail. In England, snow is expected over areas of Cumbria and Lancashire.

Weather map for 3am on Friday showing snow in Northern Ireland northern England
At 3am on Friday, weather maps show heavy snow across the west of Northern Ireland, as well as in parts of Cumbria, Lancashire and Derbyshire -Credit:Met Office

By 6am, a large area of the north of the UK will see snowfall. Weather maps show snow covering a long 260-mile stretch of the UK, from the Scottish Highlands down to northern England, with some areas forecast more than 4mm per hour.

Map showing heavy snow from Fort William down to North Yorkshire at 6am Friday
At 6am on Friday, heavy snow is forecast across a 260-mile stretch of the UK from Fort William down to North Yorkshire -Credit:Met Office

The heaviest snow looks set to be over areas of high ground in Scotland and northern England. Heavy hail is also forecast across much of the rest of the north. The only areas likely to stay dry are those in the very north east of the country.

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At 11.59pm on Friday, the two yellow weather warnings for wind covering most of the country will come to an end, while a new warning for northern Scotland will come into force, lasting until 3pm on Saturday.

Saturday

On Saturday, the impact of Storm Éowyn is set to ease as the storm clears to the northeast of the UK.

Weather map for Saturday morning
On Saturday morning, parts of North Wales and Lancashire are forecast heavy snow, while much of the rest of the UK will stay dry -Credit:Met Office

There is likely to be snow over parts of North Wales and the north west coast of England. The rest of the country is likely to stay fairly dry, although some strong winds could continue over the weekend.

Where there is rainfall, showers are expected to replace persistent heavy rain.

However, the Met Office has warned that more blustery weather is likely to arrive by the end of the weekend. On Sunday, another area of low pressure is expected to arrive.

It could bring further wet and very windy weather across the UK, the Met Office has said.