Storm Bert to batter north-east as Met Office issue amber weather warning

Ruaraidh Britton
·2-min read
Storm Bert is set to hit Aberdeen.
-Credit: (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)


The Met Office has named Storm Bert ahead of this weekend with heavy rain, snow and strong winds set to hit Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.

Snow and ice along with freezing temperatures have gripped the north-east this week, shutting schools and causing widespread travel disruption.

Two yellow weather warnings for snow and ice are currently in place until midday on Friday, November 22, but more warnings have been issued for the weekend.

READ MORE: Storm Bert warnings in full as Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire braced for weekend of severe weather

READ MORE: Calls made for protest over planned Donald Trump visit to Aberdeenshire golf course

A yellow warning for wind has been put in place by the Met Office along the north-east coastlines and in Aberdeenshire, with speeds of up to 70mph forecast.

The wind warnings will come into force at 5am on Saturday, November 23 and remain in place until 7pm.

Meanwhile an amber warning for snow and ice has also been issued in part of Aberdeenshire from 7am until 7pm, covering areas of Royal Deeside and the Cairngorms.

Heavy snowfall will move northeastwards and bring up to 20cm of snow, with as much as 40cm predicted on higher ground.

Warnings have been put in place across the country for Saturday
Warnings have been put in place across the country for Saturday -Credit:Met Office

A separate yellow warning for rain and snow will be in place throughout the weekend from 4am on Saturday until 9am on Sunday, November 24, covering the majority of the north-east.

Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist Dan Holley said: "Storm Bert marks a shift to much milder air and wintry hazards will gradually diminish through the weekend, but heavy snowfall is expected across parts of northern England and Scotland for a time on Saturday, especially over higher ground, and warnings are in place.

"Heavy rain through Saturday and Sunday, especially in southern and western parts of the UK, will also bring impacts for some with a number of warnings in place. We expect 50-75 mm of rainfall quite widely within the warning areas, but in excess of 100 mm is possible over high ground in parts of Wales and southwest England.

"In addition, rapid melting of lying snow over the weekend and periods of strong winds are likely to exacerbate impacts and bring the potential for travel disruption, as well as flooding for some."

Ahead of Storm Bert, wintry showers will continue to impact parts of the UK on Thursday and Friday, particularly exposed areas in the north, and there are still a number of National Severe Weather Warnings in place for snow and ice.

Forecasters are warning of delays on the roads and railways from the snow, while wind warnings could hit air and ferry travel this weekend.

Power cuts are also expected, with further warnings of rural communities becoming cut off and untreated surfaces becoming dangerous or impassable.

Those living in coastal areas covered by the wind warning have been urged to avoid the sea fronts were large waves could pose risks.

Latest stories

  • Woman goes to Tenerife for winter sun but holiday takes unexpected turn

    Georgia, known as @georgiasjournal on TikTok, said she "needs answers" after her recent holiday to Tenerife went drastically wrong. It was totally different to what she expected

  • UK weather: Met Office warnings issued ahead of ice and 75mph winds blasting Britain this week

    Forecaster warns of travel chaos, increased chance of accidents and power cuts as temperatures plunge to below freezing and snow sweeps across parts of country

  • Forecasters issue yellow warning for heavy rain and wind during the weekend

    People are being advised of a ‘danger to life’ from flying debris as well as from large waves at the coast.

  • Watch as Florida gator drags massive python across pond

    Large Burmese pythons are known to eat alligators in Florida’s Everglades region. But sometimes the opposite is true. The accompanying footage, captured Nov. 28, shows a large gator swimming across a pond with a giant python in its

  • Met Office map shows where snow could fall TODAY as UK braced for chilly weather

    Wintry conditions will return for some Brits

  • 'Wet and windy' weather to sweep UK this week after cold spell, Met Office says

    Britons can expect milder temperatures this week, although the Met Office warns low pressure will bring a "disruptive" period of wind and rain.

  • What we know about the Christmas weather forecast

    Spoiler: it looks pretty grim for most of the UK.

  • UK tourists visiting Canary Islands issued warning over '70kmh winds'

    Yellow and amber weather warnings are in place across Spain

  • Work begins on one of world's biggest batteries in Cardiff, creating 1,200 jobs

    Plans for the energy park, along with an eight-storey data centre, were approved by Cardiff Council's planning committee in October, 2024

  • Why flooding caused so much damage at a seaside Carmarthenshire village

    An 80-page report has examined floods which happened in quick succession last winter

  • Strong winds and heavy rain set to batter Essex as 39-hour weather warning issued

    Strong winds and heavy rain are set to batter Essex this week as the Met Office has issued 39-hour weather warning

  • Deepest container ship to visit UK docks at Port of Felixstowe

    MSC Elenoire, the deepest draught vessel to visit the UK, arrived at the Port of Felixstowe in Suffolk.

  • Thick Snow Covers Homes Across Upstate New York

    Lake effect snow piled up around homes in Copenhagen, New York, on Monday, December 2.Video from X user Tom Fulmer shows snow piled up on trees, a car, and the front doorstep of a home in Copenhagen on Monday.The National Weather Service said moderate to locally heavy lake effect snow would continue through Tuesday across the western Southern Tier with significant accumulations. Credit: Tom Fulmer via Storyful

  • Meet the aging hunters battling bears in rural Japan

    STORY: In rural Japan a gunshot rings out. A bear slumps in a cage."This brown bear got too close to a human community. It wasn't right here but over that way in the middle of the town and on the roads close by. In this kind of situation, we have no choice other than to trap them." Bears are making their way closer to homes, and putting people’s lives at risk. Keeping the townspeople safe often falls on the shoulders of a dwindling band of aging hunters, like 75-year-old Haruo Ikegami. "I'm often the first one that gets there when they're caught like this, and I always say, 'oh come on, you're already in there?' I can't bear it."Once a common sight among the trees, hunters like Ikegami are now older, and fewer in number than before. :: RUNNING OUT OF TIMEJapan’s population is both aging and shrinking.As of 2020, about 60% of gun license-holders, like Ikegami, are over 60. And in areas where bears roam, some residents wonder what will happen when these hunters can no longer do their job. In the town of Naie, Tatsuhito Yamagishi has accused the local government of taking hunters for granted."They say we should train new hunters, but there's nothing specific on how we should do this. Who's going to hold the training sessions and the workshops? In a few years' time when we (hunters) are all over 70 years old, will there even be anybody left who could teach people how to hunt bears, even if they wanted to?"Naie’s local government declined to comment on the dispute with Yamagishi, but said officials were taking steps to address the bear problem.Japan’s environment ministry says it subsidizes local governments to train officials and conduct bear drills.But the country’s reliance on recreational bear hunters could become unsustainable, according to the hunters themselves, officials, residents and experts Reuters spoke to. :: BOLDER BEARSBoth black and brown bears’ habitats have been expanding, in part because of depopulation in rural areas, experts say.Some believe this, and less managed farmland, may be making bears more daring.And the animals appear to be raising cubs closer to human settlements, causing them to fear people less than before.All this has contributed to an increase in human-bear incidents.In the twelve months through March 2024, 219 people were attacked. Six fatally. More than 9,000 black and brown bears were trapped and culled over that period, according to Japan’s environment ministry.84-year-old Katsuo Harada carries scars from over 20 years ago, when a bear sank its teeth into his skull.'It was like it was gnawing on a raw radish, scraping and crunching. I passed out at the sound and I don't know what happened beyond that."Harada is now part of a group that helps keep problematic wildlife at bay."I feel that I have to protect the people living here. Whenever I set a trap, you saw today there are four locations, I'm driven forwards by the thought that if I hadn't laid the traps, somebody could have been killed." One common way to trap bears is by using a large cage with bait, like a deer carcass, salmon or honey. The trap is designed so that the creature steps on a metal plate when it goes near the bait, triggering the door to close. The local authorities then make a call on what to do with the animal and may involve licensed hunters to kill it. The trapped bear is looked after and fed until it is culled.As an alternative solution, some companies are turning to technology.This “Monster Wolf” robot growls, barks and emits threats. Costing about $2,500, it is triggered by a sensor and powered by solar energy.It has shown some success, but Yamagishi explains that it takes years for humans to learn how to trap bears and insists their expertise will remain indispensable. :: DWINDLING FRONT LINEResponding to the increase in attacks, the Japanese government this year proposed relaxing rules around gun use to make it easier to shoot bears in urban areas.But hunters say it’s hard to find new recruits because the job is expensive, unappealing, and exhausting.Some get 8,000 yen, or about $50 from local governments for a bear cull. This might cover expenses and fuel, Ikegami says, but little else. A system is needed, they suggest, where hunters are paid enough to support a family. Because if the younger generation doesn’t take up the torch, the last line of defence will soon be gone.

  • Three-day weather warning issued for Suffolk

    The Met Office has issued a three-day weather warning for strong winds and heavy rain for Suffolk.

  • Met Office issues warning as 'strong and gusty' winds expected in Bradford

    Weather experts are warning of possible disruption as a result of "strong and gusty" winds.

  • Ice and snow bring disruption in northern Scotland amid weather warnings

    MOTORISTS have faced travel disruption in snowy and icy conditions amid weather warnings in place across much of the country ...

  • Will it snow in Scotland this December? See long-range forecast for the month

    Will it snow in Scotland this December? Here is what the Met Office has said ahead of Christmas.

  • Scientists puzzled by asteroids that hit Earth 35 million years ago and seemingly left no climate impacts

    UK scientists used hundreds of tiny fossils that lived in the sea at the time to understand climate shifts tens of millions of years ago

  • Ukrainians find new energy sources to beat blackouts as winter arrives

    Standing on the rooftop of a 16-storey residential apartment building in Ukraine's capital Kyiv, Valerii Pyndyk pointed to several rows of solar panels. Pyndyk hopes the installation - one of the first of its kind by residents in Kyiv - will help about 1,000 families living in the building get through what could prove Ukraine's most difficult winter since the start of Russia's invasion. The two previous winters of the war were already challenging, but Russia has now intensified its attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, with at least 11 major missile and drone strikes since March.