Storm Bert set to bring gales, snow, rain and local flooding to Moray and the Highlands, warns Met Office

Storm Bert is set to batter parts of Moray and the Highlands with 70mph gales, snow, rain and localised flooding this weekend.

The Met Office has issued several new weather warnings for the weekend, when a deep area of low pressure is expected to push into Scotland.

This will bring milder, wet weather and strong winds into contact with the Arctic air mass which has brought so much snow and ice to the region this week.

When it does, the rain will initially turn to snow before turning back to rain amid a rapid thaw. This could lead to localised flooding.

And the Met Office has now revised its warnings for the weekend, to add an amber alert for snow and ice in the Cairngorms and Trossachs, and yellow warnings for gales on the west and east of the region.

These will be in addition to an existing yellow warning for rain and snow which will be in force across most of mainland Scotland from 4am on Saturday until 9am on Sunday.

Speaking about the widespread yellow warning for rain and snow, a Met Office spokesperson said: “Outbreaks of rain will spread north—eastwards on Saturday, preceded by a spell of snow across parts of northern England and Scotland.

“Whilst snow will become increasingly confined to higher elevations with time, there is the chance of a transient period of snow to low levels in some areas, with perhaps as much as 5-10 cm accumulating in places… before turning back to rain. Temporary snow accumulations of 10-20 cm are possible on ground above 150m, with perhaps as much as 20-40 cm above 300m.”

The amber warning for snow and ice, meanwhile, will be in force across the Cairngorms from 7am on Saturday until 5pm the same day. Up to 40cm of fresh snow is being predicted in some parts of the Cairngorms during that period.

The yellow warnings for gales meanwhile, will be in place from 5am on Saturday until 7pm the same day.

The Met Office spokesperson added: “A period of strong south-easterly winds is likely for a time on Saturday, with peak gusts of 50-60 mph in many parts of the warning area, but 60-70 mph in some coastal areas and also locally to the lee (north-west) of high ground, and perhaps in excess of 70 mph along some exposed coasts of Northern Ireland and western Scotland.”

The wind warning area covers coastal areas of Caithness, eastern Sutherland, and north-eastern and eastern Aberdeenshire, and then extends southwards as far as the Humber in northern England.

In the west the wind warning covers north-western and western Sutherland, Wester and Mid Ross, the Great Glen, Inverness, Aviemore and extends as far east as Dufftown.

The alert area also covers the Cairngorms, Lochaber, all of the Inner and Outer Hebrides, and sweeps south over Loch Lomond, Argyll & Bute. into southern Scotland, north-west England and Northern Ireland.