The cat’s out of the bag as March roars in

MARCH is set to live up to weather folklore – and come roaring in like a lion.

Winds of up to 80mph have been forecast to lash Scotland tonight and into tomorrow morning.

The Met Office has posted yellow ‘be aware’ warnings of severe gales sweeping in from the Atlantic from around 5pm today.

A ‘rapidly deepening’ depression is said to be heading our way – powered by the jetstream, which is running much faster than normal.

The late winter storm is forecast to batter Southern Scotland and tear through the Central Belt overnight and into tomorrow. The public has been warned the winds could be ‘destructive’ and have the capacity to disrupt travel and bring down power lines.

Nicky Maxey, of the Met Office, said: ‘A lowpressure system is crossing the north of the UK late on Saturday.

‘It will bring in very strong winds, possibly severe gale force, coupled with rain and falling temperatures.

‘The fact that it is a low pressure system means it will move through the country pretty quickly. Winds on the coast and exposed hilltops could reach 80mph, but generally 60mph inland through the Central Belt. The warning ends at 4am on Sunday, but the day remains windy, with some rain around.’

The storms are expected to ease at the start of next week, though only temporarily. The mercury will plummet on Tuesday with heavy overnight frosts.

Overall temperatures will fall well below normal towards the end of next week with the risk of snow, mainly over higher ground in the North and East.

But, despite the bleak outlook, the end of the month may be better – if the old saying proves true. This warns that March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.

Meanwhile, the UK has almost certainly enjoyed its sunniest winter on record, based on data going back to 1929. By February 25, Britain had enjoyed 189 hours of sunshine, equalling the previous record set in 2001.

But with three days of unrecorded data to be counted, the Met Office says the record is likely to be beaten by around seven hours.

Across the UK, Scotland had the highest extra sunshine ratio in February, with temperatures touching 60f (15.6c) at Fyvie Castle, Aberdeenshire, on the 18th.