Storm Dave has been named by the Met Office after yellow weather warnings for wind and snow were put in place across the UK over the Easter bank holiday weekend.
The weather service said the fourth named storm of the year will bring gusts as strong as 90mph and snowfall of up to 20cm in some areas as the country’s weather is set to turn.
Forecasters warn there is a chance of “injuries and danger to life” from flying debris, while the strong winds may also cause some damage and travel disruption.
The Met Office has issued yellow severe weather warnings for wind covering the whole of mainland Scotland, Northern Ireland, parts of northern England and north Wales from Saturday into Sunday.
A yellow warning of wind will be in force across mainland Scotland from 6pm on Saturday until midday Sunday. The warning covering northern England and north Wales will be in place from 5pm on Saturday until 7am on Sunday, while Northern Ireland will be covered by a warning from 2pm on Saturday until 2pm the next day. A fourth yellow warning for wind, covering Orkney and Shetland, comes into force at midnight on Saturday and lifts at 3pm on Sunday.
Deputy chief forecaster Tom Crabtree said: “Storm Dave will form and rapidly deepen on Saturday as it approaches the UK from the west. By Saturday afternoon, winds will strengthen significantly, with gusts of 60 to 70mph expected at times across parts of Scotland, with the potential for gusts of 80 to 90mph in exposed coastal locations in Scotland. Gusts of 50 to 60mph are likely more widely in northern Britain.
“Storm Dave will also bring heavy snowfall over the hills in northern Scotland, where up to 10 to 20cm of snow could accumulate. Along with the strong winds, this will lead to blizzard conditions. Elsewhere there will be heavy spells of rain as the system moves eastwards across the UK. People should prepare their property for the strong winds and keep updated with the latest weather forecast as weather warnings are likely to be updated.”
Forecasters added that southern parts of the UK will not feel the impact of the storm. They said the Easter weekend will be breezy at times but also much drier with some good sunny spells, particularly on Sunday afternoon and on Monday at times.
Met Office’s full weather forecast for Easter bank holiday weekend
Thursday
Ahead of Storm Dave, Thursday will be a widely dry and bright start across the UK before increasing cloud then rain moves into north-western parts of the UK later in the day.
Good Friday
Overnight and through Good Friday this front will move through to the east, bringing rain to most areas of the UK, though driest in the South East and the heaviest rain in western Scotland. As the front clears through, cooler air will be drawn in across the north of the UK, bringing some snow showers to Scotland through Friday afternoon and overnight.
Saturday
Rain spreading north with strong winds and gales in northwest England. The most severe weather will be in the north of the UK on Saturday evening through to the middle of Sunday as an area of low pressure rapidly deepens, bringing very strong winds to much of northern Britain. The wind speeds will peak at different times as the deep area of low pressure moves across the north, with peak gusts in Northern Ireland expected earlier on Saturday afternoon before spreading more widely across the north of the UK.
Easter Sunday
The severe weather is forecast to continue into Easter Sunday. However, as Storm Dave clears into the North Sea on Sunday afternoon, frequent blustery snow showers will feed into Scotland and Northern Ireland, these showers falling as rain further south in parts of England and Wales.
Easter Monday
This will be the driest day of the long weekend, with a brief ridge of higher pressure in the wake of Storm Dave bringing a more settled day. There will be lots of cloud across the UK, though brighter spells will break through in some regions such as the far south of England and northeastern parts of Scotland.
Next week
The outlook for next week remains unsettled, with further bands of cloud and rain likely to move in from the west, maintaining a cloudy theme with some rain and temperatures around average.
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