Snow and rain … must be a bank holiday!

TORRENTIAL rain and snow will make it a gloomy Bank Holiday for millions today.

Up to six inches of snow is forecast for much of Wales, northern England and Northern Ireland.

And southern areas are expected to see heavy rain in the morning – parts of the country could be deluged with almost three inches.

More than 100 flood alerts were in place across England yesterday and motorists have been warned of treacherous conditions.

It follows similar weather on Friday, which led to football cancellations and a miserable start to the holiday throughout the South. This morning, rain and strong winds will spread northwards, making for brighter conditions in the South later in the day. As the rain reaches colder areas around the Midlands, it may well turn to sleet and snow.

As much as six inches of snow could fall on higher ground in northern England and Scotland, while rural communities could be cut off, mainly across the northern Pennines and Scottish Borders.

The cold and wet conditions are the result of a weather system travelling from the South-West. Fortunately, the end of the week looks set to be far warmer. Temperatures could reach the high teens in the South by Friday.

Forecaster Helen Roberts said: ‘The main risk is rain, we have a number of warnings out at the moment, including a fairly large rain warning covering most of the country. It is going to cause problems for people travelling … there will be a lot of surface water on roads.’

The AA warned motorists to take extra care and said the bank holiday weekend was ‘likely to be one of the busiest on the roads in recent years’.