Highlights
- Winds of up to 80mph and snow are forecast for parts of the UK from Wednesday with multiple Met Office weather warnings in place.
- Last Thursday was the hottest day of the year so far with temperatures reaching 19.2C in Northolt, London.
- Friday is expected to bring the coldest day of the week with snow possible on Scottish mountains and lower hills.
Severe gales developed around midnight on Tuesday and will persist until midday on Wednesday across the Outer and Inner Hebrides, moving northeast across exposed parts of north-west mainland Scotland and into Orkney during Wednesday morning.
Gusts of 65 to 70mph are expected, with a small chance of up to 80mph in isolated locations. Rain and blustery showers will accompany the strongest winds.
The southeast is expected to fare better on Wednesday, with temperatures peaking at around 15C.
Warnings across UK
Weather warnings extend into Thursday, with much of Northern Ireland under a wind warning from 6am until midday as southwesterly winds gust between 40 and 50mph.
A separate warning covering Central Scotland, Tayside, East Midlands, northeast and northwest England, Wales, West Midlands and Yorkshire runs until 8pm on Thursday.
The Met Office has warned of travel disruption, with blustery showers and a chance of snow on Scottish mountains expected to follow.
Friday is set to be the coldest day of the week. Jason Kelly, chief operational meteorologist for the Met Office, said: "A notable shift in wind direction to a north-westerly flow will bring a markedly colder day nationwide on Friday, with the potential for a mixture of sunny spells, heavy showers, coastal gales, and snow over high ground.
There's also the possibility of accumulations on lower hills too." Saturday is expected to be drier before further wind and rain moves across the UK on Sunday, with temperatures gradually recovering through the weekend.
