Storm Kathleen to tear into UK with 70mph winds and snow

LONDON, England

Britain will be hit by Storm Kathleen this weekend which will bring dangerous 70mph gusts, torrential downpours and snow in some areas.

Storm Kathleen, which was named on Thursday, is forecast to hit the west coast of England, Scotland and Ireland on Saturday, before moving across to other parts of the country.

The Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings for rain, snow and wind that come into force on Friday.

Gusts of 50mph are widely expected across the country, with more exposed areas, such as the coast seeing winds of 60-70mph. The forecaster said coastal areas can also expect to see large waves.

The Met Office also warned that heavy rain could cause travel disruption, with a chance of flooding for some homes and businesses.

The snow warning is in place on Friday and covers a large portion of central Scotland, including Glasgow and Edinburgh.

“Snow is likely to cause some travel disruption on Friday morning, particularly on higher routes,” the forecaster said.

Saturday will experience “unseasonably wet and windy” conditions, including heavy rain across parts of Scotland and potential outbreaks across western parts and North East England, Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill said.

However, temperatures will be mild, despite the wind and rain, he added: “There is a good chance we could see highs of 20C which would be the first time we have seen 20C this year.”

Looking ahead at the next 10 days, Mr Burkill said: “There will be some wet weather around, could be quite heavy at times, but there are also some signs of something a little bit drier coming up later on.