The UK is currently undergoing a major cold spell, with yellow and amber weather warnings for snow and ice impacting large parts of the country, including Scotland and the Midlands.
Storm Goretti is set to pose a danger to life as heavy snow blankets large parts of the British Isles and winds of up to 90mph bring danger to life and widespread disruption.
The storm is looking to be so severe that meteorologists from the Met Office and BBC Weather have described it as a "weather bomb".
This is the unofficial name for an ‘explosive cyclogenesis’ where the central pressure of a storm drops by more than 24 millibars in 24 hours.
A weather bomb can bring winds strong enough to bring down trees and cause structural damage.
The weather warnings in place amid snow, ice and 90mph winds
This week, there are several Met Office yellow and amber weather warnings in place across the UK for snow, ice and wind.
In Scotland, there is a yellow weather warning for snow and ice until noon today (Thursday, January 8). This has increased some journey times and brought about injuries from slips and falls.
In Cornwall, there is an amber weather warning for wind from 4 pm until 11 pm today, something that is likely to cause power outages and pose a danger to life.
Yellow snow warnings are in place across Wales, the South West of England and much of the Midlands until 12 pm tomorrow (9 am for the South West).
Yellow rain warnings in Essex, Lincolnshire and Pembrokeshire are also in place and will last until tomorrow (10 am in Wales and 9 pm elsewhere).
A more serious amber weather warning for snow is in place for central Wales and the areas around Birmingham, Leicester and Worcester. This will be in place from 8 pm today until 9 am tomorrow.
Returning to the South West, there will also be more isolated pockets of yellow snow warnings, with snow being an issue around Exeter from 8 pm today until 9 am tomorrow morning.
Finally, in Northern Ireland, there was an ice warning in place until 10 am.
Why is it called Storm Goretti? Where the name comes from
Recommended Reading
- What causes black ice and where does it get its name from?
- What do yellow, amber and red weather warnings from the Met Office mean?
- How cold does it have to be to snow in the UK? See if it can ever be too cold
Storm Goretti has been named by Meteo-France, the official meteorological administration of France, as the biggest impacts are expected here.
According to the Met Office's Head of Situational Awareness, Will Lang, storms are named "because it works".
They added: "Naming storms helps to make communication of severe weather easier and provides clarity."
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