UK braces for snow and 70mph winds as heart of Storm Jorge approaches

The UK is set to be buffeted by 70mph winds followed by snow as the nation braces for Storm Jorge.

Strong winds are forecast for much of England, Wales and Northern Ireland on Saturday, reaching 70mph in coastal areas and up to 60mph inland.

Flooding along parts of the River Severn, which has reached close to its highest levels in some areas, is likely until at least Sunday, the Environment Agency said.

A severe “danger to life” flood warning covering the river at the Wharfage in Ironbridge, Shropshire, remains in place on Thursday, while 82 flood warnings and 125 flood alerts have been issued.

Rising waters pushed back the town’s temporary flood barriers towards a pub and other businesses, sparking fears that the defences could be fully breached.

The heart of Storm Jorge currently lies off the west coast of Ireland, but the strom is moving closer to the UK by the hour.

A Met office spokesman said: "At the moment (Friday evening) the centre of the storm is to the west of Ireland.

"Possibly by late afternoon tomorrow (Saturday) the centre will be close to the north of Northern Ireland and western Scotland.

"The centre of the storm will be quite slow moving until the early part of next week."

While the rest of the UK will avoid the centre of the storm, of the UK will be affected by wind and rain over the weekend.

"The strong winds and heavy rains associated with it will affect most parts of the UK", the spokesman said.

"Through tomorrow (Saturday) onwards the winds will become the worst feature of it."

Once the wind and rain dies down, Scotland and the North of England will see snow.

The spokesman added: "From Sunday through to Monday there will be snow, particularly in Scotland and higher parts of northern England."

England has already received over 200% of its average February rainfall, according to the Environment Agency, with some areas experiencing a month’s worth of rain in 24 hours.

Storm Jorge is the fifth storm to hit the UK since December 6 last year and the third in February alone.