Storm Bert named as icy spell to end with wet and very windy weekend in East Yorkshire

Storm Bert will bring the icy spell to a sudden end this weekend with heavy rain and strong winds forecast.

The Met Office has now named the upcoming winter storm which will "bring impacts to large parts of the UK on Saturday and Sunday". In East Yorkshire, winds of between 50 and 60mph are forecast along with some heavy rainfall throughout Saturday. It will stay blustery overnight into Sunday with further showers then expected.

The storm will see a rapid rise in temperatures too though winds will make it feel somewhat cooler. Between 9am and noon on Saturday highs of between 2 and 4C are predicted but, by midnight, the mercury is expected to have risen to around 12 or 13C as the milder air moves in from the south with the storm.

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It will become cooler on Monday, and stay fairly windy, though temperatures will not fall to the levels seen this week with daytime highs of around 9 or 10C. However, they will dip further by midweek with highs of around 7 or 8C and overnight lows pushing towards freezing point.

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 50-75mm of rainfall quite widely within the warning areas, but in excess of 100mm 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.”

Weather warnings in East Yorkshire

A number of yellow-level weather warnings have been issued for parts of East Yorkshire ahead of and during the storm.

Snow and ice - Thursday 12pm until Friday 10am

Wintry showers and icy patches this evening and overnight with could lead to "some travel disruption". This warning covers the east coast of our region including Hornsea, Withernsea and Bridlington.

The Met Office warning states: "Wintry showers are expected to gradually move south this afternoon, then feeding inland from Irish Sea and North Sea coasts at times this evening and overnight, especially through the Cheshire Gap to affect parts of the Midlands and north Wales. Where these occur 2-5cm of fresh snow is possible, with this most likely on ground above 100m.

"Icy stretches are expected to form on untreated surfaces during Thursday evening and overnight into Friday morning as temperatures drop below freezing, especially following any showers."

Wind - Saturday 5am until Saturday 7pm

Storm Bert will bring strong winds for a time on Saturday, which "may cause some disruption in places". Though winds are expected to be strong quite widely, this warning only covers coastal areas which could be affected by spray and/or large waves.

The Met Office warning states: "A period of strong southeasterly winds is likely for a time on Saturday, with peak gusts of 50-60 mph in many parts of the warning area, but 60-70 mph in some coastal areas and also locally to the lee (northwest) of high ground, and perhaps in excess of 70 mph along some exposed coasts of Northern Ireland and western Scotland."

Rain and snow - Saturday 4am until Sunday 9am

A period of heavy snow, followed by a "rapid thaw and subsequent rain may cause some disruption". This warning covers more inland parts of East Yorkshire north of Beverley, including Driffield.

The Met Office warning states: "Outbreaks of rain will spread northeastwards on Saturday, preceded by a spell of snow across parts of northern England and Scotland. Whilst snow will become increasingly confined to higher elevations with time, there is the chance of a transient period of snow to low levels in some areas, with perhaps as much as 5-10 cm accumulating in places, especially the Vale of York, before turning back to rain. Temporary snow accumulations of 10-20 cm are possible on ground above 150m, with perhaps as much as 20-40 cm above 300m.

"In conjunction with strengthening winds, difficult driving conditions are likely, especially over higher level routes, with possibly some interruptions to power supplies. In addition, the rapid thaw of lying snow as milder air arrives, with perhaps an additional 20-40 mm of rain in some upland areas during Saturday night, will lead to a greater likelihood of rainfall impacts later in the period."

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