After Arwen, wrap up for the big freeze
COMMUTERS face difficult wintry conditions for the start of the working week, with snow forecast for tomorrow and a potential Atlantic ‘weather bomb’ barrelling in on Tuesday.
The Met Office may need to issue a warning for the Central Belt tomorrow morning after winds turn north-westerly and start to drag snow across most of the UK.
While this should be confined to higher routes, the fact that many people will be setting out on the Monday morning commute could force a yellow ‘be aware’ warning to be issued.
The Met Office in Ireland is poised to give a name to an ‘explosive’ area of low pressure heading in from the Atlantic on Tuesday evening. If it is named, Storm Barra will also apply to the UK.
A system qualifies as a weather bomb if its centre deepens by 24 millibars in 24 hours. This one is expected to deepen even further than that.
Simon Partridge of the Met Office said: ‘Of the two weather systems heading for Scotland, the snow on Sunday night and Monday morning is giving us greatest cause for concern. Our people in Aberdeen are keeping a close eye on exactly how widespread the snow is going to be and it’s possible we may need to issue a formal warning on Sunday.
‘As far as the low pressure in the Atlantic is concerned, we feel the strongest winds will be confined to the west coast of Ireland.
‘At the moment, there is some disparity between models on the route this storm will take once it has hit Ireland. Some have it turning northeast, towards Scotland. But most models suggest it will head southeast and move towards France.
‘In any case, it will develop its explosive deep out in the Atlantic so its worst effects will be felt far out in the west.’
This event sees the danger to Scotland returning to a more westerly direction. Storm Arwen caused so much damage because it passed down the eastern coast, devastating forests which have not been tested by high winds for decades.
The final 560 customers who lost power due to Arwen should have been reconnected by Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks crews last night, eight days after the 90mph tempest struck.