8in of snow and 60mph gales on way as dreadful Doris storms in

IT is only a week until meteorological spring arrives on March 1.

But winter still has a sting in its tail – as Scots will soon discover as powerful Storm Doris sweeps in.

After a mainly mild February, the Met Office has issued weather warnings for tomorrow, with gales, rain and snow on the way.

The so-called ‘weather bomb’ is expected to bring up to eight inches (20cm) of snow to the highest parts of the Southern Uplands, while around two inches (5cm) is set to reach lower levels in the Central Belt.

Winds are set to pick up into tomorrow and amber ‘be aware’ warnings are in place for Strathclyde, Lothian and the Borders,

‘Disruption to transport’

the north-East, Tayside and Fife, and the northern Isles.

The alert warns that ‘damage to structures, interruptions to power supplies and widespread disruption to travel networks are likely, with a danger of injury from flying debris.’

The strongest winds are expected across England but there could be gusts of up to 60mph in southern and eastern Scotland.

A Met Office spokesman said: ‘Snow is expected over high ground of northern England and Scotland on Thursday, and may fall to low levels for a time in Scotland. Snow accumulations of 5-10cm are expected on some hills, with up to 5cm possible on lower levels to the north of the Central Lowlands.

‘The largest accumulations of 10cm to 20cm are likely on highest parts of the north Pennines and Southern Uplands. In addition, strong winds are expected to develop, with gusts of 50-60mph. This will result in drifting of the snow and blizzard conditions over high ground.’

He added that heavy rain at lower levels would be an ‘additional hazard’, with ‘the combination of snow, strong winds and heavy rain likely to lead to disruption to transport networks and perhaps power supplies’.

Doris, the first storm to be named by the Met Office in 2017, is expected to move on quickly, with the worst of the weather likely to be gone by tomorrow evening.

Further Atlantic gusts will bring more rain and wind through the weekend and into next week but conditions are not expected to reach the heights of Doris.

The severe weather contrasts with Monday’s spring-like conditions, which saw temperatures in parts of the UK beating those in Alicante, Ibiza and Milan on the hottest day of the year so far.

The mercury climbed to 15.3C (59.5F) in Leuchars, Fife, thanks to tropical Atlantic air sweeping across the country, giving the UK a maximum of 18.3C (65F) at Kew gardens, London.

But experts have warned that Doris looks set to become a ‘weather bomb’, something seen during the most severe storms.

Meteogroup forecaster Callum Stewart said: ‘The storm’s rapid development is forecast to see its air pressure drop by around 30 millibars in 24 hours, known as “explosive cyclogenesis” or, by some, as a “weather bomb”.

‘This causes an intense storm. People need to be aware of the strength of the gusts.’