Britain braces for heavy snow after 40 days of rain: Met Office warns as much as 4 inches will fall in northern England with 20-hour yellow warning issued

It’s been an extraordinarily wet year for Britain so far with rivers bursting their banks, hundreds of properties flooded and rain falling every single day in some areas.

Now, the Met Office has warned heavy snow will hit northern England and Scotland tomorrow, issuing a 20-hour yellow alert amid concerns up to four inches will fall.

Forecasters told Brits to be prepared for icy surfaces and travel disruption due to outbreaks of snow, sleet and rain between 4pm tomorrow and midday on Friday. 

Snow showers affecting high ground are expected to start to fall to low levels through tomorrow evening, with up to 2cm (0.8in) on low ground by Friday morning.

Accumulations of up to 5cm (2in) were forecast above 300m (1,000ft) with 10cm (4in) possible locally, while falling temperatures will lead to ice on untreated surfaces.

The public were warned to take care given the risk of injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces; as well as icy patches on untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths.

The rain and snow is expected to clear south early on Friday but temperatures will fall quickly as the skies clear, leading to ice and the possibility of travels delays.

Two yellow warnings were issued – one for Scotland from 4pm tomorrow until 12pm on Friday, and another for northern England from 7pm tomorrow to 12pm on Friday.

And the UK Health Security Agency has announced yellow cold health alerts for the North of England and Midlands, running from 6am on Friday to 8am next Monday. 

Meanwhile almost 90 areas of England have been warned to expect flooding as downpours continue, with no sign of a prolonged dry spell for at least a week. 

The Environment Agency warned flooding was expected in 89 areas, mostly across the south of England, around the southern Welsh border and in the East Midlands – and was possible in a further 154 areas.

At least 300 properties are estimated to have been flooded so far.

It comes after a record-breaking month of rain, which became the wettest January on record for Cornwall in south-west England and County Down in Northern Ireland, according to the Met Office.

The forecaster said many have been left with a sense that winter has been ‘stuck on repeat’, with 26 of its weather stations setting new records for January rainfall.

The UK has already seen 89 per cent of the average rainfall expected for meteorological winter (December, January and February) – while England has exceeded it by 11 per cent, it said.

Parts of Devon, Cornwall, Worcestershire, Somerset and West Sussex have recorded more than 30 consecutive days of rain, while North Wyke in Devon, Cardinham in Cornwall, and Astwood Bank in Worcestershire have seen it rain every day of the year so far.

Warnings of rain which may lead to flooding remain in place in some parts of the UK today.

The Met Office has issued yellow warnings of rain in part of western Scotland and in the east from Aberdeenshire down to Fife which is in force until midnight tonight.

Forecasters warn that rain, likely to be heavy at times, will persist across eastern Scotland during the day and predict that this may lead to some disruption and possible flooding as it comes after recent rainfall.

They predict that a further 15mm to 25mm may fall quite widely, with potential for another 30mm to 40mm building up over high ground.

The warning in the east covers Angus, Dundee, Fife, Perth and Kinross, Stirling, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire while in the west it covers Argyll and Bute, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire, Renfrewshire and West Dunbartonshire.

Andrew Hitchings, flood duty manager at the Environment Agency, said: ‘With another band of rain on its way, we need the public to remain vigilant to the risk of flooding.

‘As well as significant groundwater remaining likely in parts of Dorset and Wiltshire, there are risks of significant river flooding impacts on the Somerset Levels, with minor river flooding impacts expected in parts of the East Midlands and probable in Worcestershire and Gloucestershire.

‘So far more 16,000 homes and business have been protected but sadly 300 have suffered flooding and our thoughts are with those communities affected.

‘Our teams will continue to do all they can to support local people, with pumps, temporary barriers and by clearing waterways to ensure flood water can drain away.’

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has issued three flood warnings and seven flood alerts.

Met Office senior operational meteorologist Simon Partridge said: ‘The weather is set to remain unsettled throughout the remainder of the week with further spells of wet and windy weather for many areas of the UK.

‘With so much rain having already fallen over parts of the UK this year, many areas are sensitive to further rainfall. Therefore, further rainfall warnings are likely as the week progresses.

‘There is currently no sign of any prolonged dry weather for the next seven to 10 days.’