UK weather – live: Met Office issues flooding warning with heavy rain to hit England tonight

Today:

Wintry showers continuing in the far north, with a band of rain and mainly hill snow across central areas moving northwards through the day. Cloudier in the south with some showers, these locally heavy. Mild in the south, colder elsewhere.

Tonight:

Rain and hill snow persisting across north and east Scotland. Elsewhere, patchy cloudy with some showers or longer spells of rain. Fog patches may develop underneath the clearest spells.

Saturday:

Rain and some snow persisting in the far north, mostly over higher ground. Occasional brighter interludes in the south once any fog clears, with showers, these mostly in the west.

Outlook for Sunday to Tuesday:

Often cloudy through the period with showers or longer spells of rain. Some bright or sunny intervals developing, most likely on Tuesday. Breezy along the coasts with temperatures around average.

Melted snow is contributing to the hundreds of flood warnings and alerts currently in place across England, the Environment Agency has said.

There are currently 86 flood warnings and 310 less severe flood alerts in place across England.

The alerts stretch from north to south but the majority are concentrating in the midlands and southern England.

Flood warnings mean that flooding is expected and locals are told to consider putting their flood plan in action if they have one.

“Following yesterday’s heavy rainfall and melting snow there are flood warnings and alerts across the country,” the Environment Agency said. “There is further rain today in places, please check your flood risk. It’s important you know how to prepare.”

While most of the UK will not be seeing any more wintry showers over the weekend, some spots will still be affected by a yellow weather warning for snow until Saturday afternoon.

Much of the rest of the UK are now being affected by flood warnings and alerts as they deal with the aftermath of melting snow over the weekend.

However, up in Scotland, many areas will still see snow. The areas affected are:

Central, Tayside & Fife

Angus

Perth and Kinross

Stirling

Grampian

Aberdeenshire

Moray

Highlands & Eilean Siar

People are being warned to expect disruption with weather warnings of snow and ice in place for much of Scotland from Friday into Saturday.

The Met Office has warned some roads and railways are likely to be affected while there is a chance of power cuts and disruption to mobile phone services.

Weather warnings of snow and rain south of the border have expired, though flood warnings and alerts remain in place throughout much of England.

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School children were pictured having to push a bus through the streets of Sheffield yesterday as the city was blanketed in snow.

Photos posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, show a crowd of what appear to be students gathering behind a bus stuck on an icy road in the Crosspool area of the city.

Bemused social media users reacted to the picture - which was taken on Thursday and has racked up over 34,000 views - with one asking: “What in the health and safety is going here??!!”

Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, urged older people to do all they can to keep warm and safe as the temperature drops.

She said: “High energy bills and food prices mean it is understandable that some may think they have to cut back on food and turn their heating off, but prolonged exposure to cold temperatures can have a serious impact on their health, especially if they are already managing existing illnesses.

“As we get older our bodies find it harder to adjust to big changes in temperature, particularly if we are also coping with ill health or mobility issues. The cold raises blood pressure, which in turn increases the risk of a heart attack or stroke.”

The charity gave a number of tips including plenty of hot food and drinks, wrapping up warm outside and sleeping with the windows closed at night. It also advised people to keep an eye on older relatives, friends and neighbours.

As Britain comes to the end of yet another cold and wintry week - here’s what people across the nation can expect to see over the weekend, according to the Met Office:

Scotland sees the most snow in the UK, with snow or sleet falling on 38.1 days on average.

The weather station which recorded the most snowfall in the UK was the Cairngorm Chairlift, with snow falling on 76.2 days throughout the year (based on 1981-2010 averages), according to the Met Office.

Scotland is set to continue their reputation for large amounts of snowfall, as the region will continue to be hit with wintry showers until Saturday afternoon.

The continuation of snow, rain and flooding across the UK triggered a day of travel chaos for Britons on Friday.

National Rail said there would be a reduced service between Bristol Parkway and Swindon with trains cancelled, delayed, or diverted until at least the end of the day after flooding blocked the lines.

There was also disruption between Leeds and Harrogate following heavy rain flooding the line and several lines in Scotland have also been affected by the severe weather.

CalMac ferries were also forced to cancel several services today. According to their website, four routes were completely cancelled until the end of the day and a further ten had one or more sailings disrupted.

The company advised its passengers to check the status of routes on its website ahead of travelling.