Southeastern rail line flooded, Eurostar trains cancelled and 75mph winds to hit UK

More than 100 areas have been warned of potential flooding today. A total of 32 flood warnings – meaning flooding is expected – have been issued by the Environment Agency. Some areas covered include Keswick Campsite, parts of the River Ouse and the River Severn.

A further 97 flood alerts, which mean flooding is possible, have been put out by the authority.

Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill has also said that northern areas of Scotland are likely to see “significant snow”, with up to 20cm on the highest ground.

A yellow weather warning for ice across the north and north west of Scotland was issued until 10am on Saturday. A similar warning for rain and snow has been issued for much of Scotland on Saturday.

The warning is in place until midnight, with up to 25mm of rain forecast at lower levels.

The Met Office has also issued a yellow warning for rain across parts of Northern Ireland, running through to Saturday at 11am, with 15 to 25mm of rain falling in a few hours.

Mr Burkill said some frost is possible in the south of Scotland, particularly towards the east, while “a more widespread harsh frost” is expected in some parts of Scotland.

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Temperatures could tumble “as low as minus 8°C or minus 9°C, perhaps a little bit colder than that,” he added.

Some heavy rain is also likely across the west of Northern Ireland on Saturday morning before wet and windy conditions push east and north eastwards.

Mr Burkill added: “As that rain hits the cold air across Scotland, I am expecting some significant snow, particularly over higher ground we could see in excess of 10cm of snow lying and, even to lower levels, some slushy snow is possible.”

This could cause some problems particularly on the roads, as strong winds and rain are also set to continue.

“Heavy rain across parts of Wales and strong gales are likely around southern, south-western coastal parts in particular – so a pretty unsettled day,” he said.

“In the south it is going to be relatively mild with highs of around 11°C or 12°C but with the wind, the rain and the cloud it will be feeling feel pretty unpleasant at times and colder further north, with temperatures here suppressed into mid-single figures.

“Later on Saturday we are going to see the rain and the snow across Scotland, or at least the worst of it, clearing away towards the north east and also that band of rain further south pushing eastwards across parts of England could still be pretty heavy at times – so watch out for that.”

The fresh warnings follow earlier weather chaos brought by Storm Gerrit.

Thousands of homes in Scotland were without power as the post-storm clean-up began, and thousands of properties in Ceredigion also lost power on Thursday after lightning struck supplies in Wales.

Strong winds of up to 75mph are expected along the south coast of England as well as in London on Saturday, with Wales under a yellow warning for wind that runs through to New Year’s Eve on Sunday at 3am.

There could be “gusts of 45-50 mph widely” but the strongest winds are “likely near coasts in the west and south, with 65-75 mph in places”, the Met Office warning states.