Severe weather warning as Scotland braces for 'thundersnow' storms
Date: 18 January 2009
By Kate Foster
SCOTLAND is facing a blast of storms with so-called 'thundersnow' predicted to hit some parts of the country.
Severe gales and storms are forecast with thunderstorms accompanied by sleet and snow in some areas.
The worst hit areas will be the Highlands and the west of Scotland, but all areas will see gales early today with gusts of up to 90mph.
The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings for Strathclyde, the Highlands and Northern Ireland. It has forecast damage to trees and buildings and disruption to transport.
A spokesman for the Met Office said the phenomenon of thundersnow occurs when sleet or snow coincide with thunderstorms.
He said: "It happens from time to time in the UK and may happen today, that we get heavy showers mixed with cold air to produce sleet and snow, and you get conditions which also produce thunder and lightning. There are going to be some heavy showers, so it will be wintry with snow on high ground. But the main thing to bear in mind is that there will be strong winds. It will be windy first thing today and this will ease off throughout the day."
Today's band of rain will cover the whole of the UK, starting in Scotland and Northern Ireland in the early morning and arriving in London and the south-east by this evening.
Temperatures are forecast at a high of around 5 degrees Celsius but the wind will make it feel colder.
The spokesman added: "People need to stay tuned to the forecast as things are moving quickly."
Tiffany Curnick, a forecaster at MeteoGroup UK, said: "Last week's cold snap was caused by low pressure coming over from the Continent but now the wind has changed direction and is coming in from the west.
"Temperatures will be milder but the moisture from the Atlantic will mean heavy rain."
Yesterday, a surfer was rescued after drifting a mile out to sea in near-hurricane conditions.
Clyde coastguard said the man had become separated from another surfer in stormy weather off the Kintyre coast at Machrihanish. A spokesman said: "He was surfing in a force 11 – that's only just short of a hurricane."
Police in the Highlands last night warned residents in the Western Isles to "go in, stay in and tune in" for updates on the worsening weather. Emergency services said a high tide would occur at midnight, raising concern for floods.
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