Thundersnow hits UK today as lightning and 6 inch flurries coming for millions
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A new storm will sweep across the UK today bringing lightning and heavy snow to millions of people, forecasters have warned.
Storm Gladys began to make landfall with high winds late yesterday afternoon (January 23), and is expected to bring its worst today with widespread wintry weather.
A rare yellow weather warning for snow and lightning has been issued by the Met Office to most of west Scotland and large parts of Northern Ireland from 5pm on Wednesday to 8pm on Thursday.
Weather maps from independent forecaster WXCharts meanwhile show around six inches of snow falling on higher ground in Scotland from Thursday morning onward, with significant accumulations also expected in patches in the rest of the United Kingdom.
In other areas the precipitation will take the form of heavy rain, with conditions generally cold and windy in most places.
The Met Office forecast for Thursday reads: "Rain, heavy in places, with risk of some sleet, across southern areas clearing during the morning, then all parts cold and windy with sunny intervals and squally wintry showers.
"Some heavy snow showers and isolated thunderstorms in the north."
The national forecaster's warning raises the prospect of a rare 'thundersnow' event, which sees a combination of snowfall and lightning when thunderstorms brew up in wintry conditions.
It is said to look brighter than normal lightning, as the brilliant white-blue of the electrical bolts flash through the sky, with its light reflecting on the snowflakes as they fall gently to the ground nearby.
According to experts, the meteorological phenomenon occurs a few times a year and should be treated with extra caution as snow can clog up roads.
The new storm has been unofficially named Gladys by observers after a string of storms named Dudley, Eunice and Franklin brought chaos and three deaths to the UK over the last week.
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- UK Weather
- Weather Forecast
- Snow
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