Snow, heavy rain and gales set to hit Devon

The Met Office has issued three weather warnings as snow, strong winds and heavy rain are expected to hit the region this week.

Showers of hail, sleet and snow on Tuesday evening and overnight are likely to leave a covering of snow of 3-6 cm in places, especially on ground over 100m but also locally to lower levels too.

Icy patches will also form on untreated surfaces making driving conditions tricky.

The Met Office’s chief forecaster said: “A cold westerly airstream will spread across the area on Tuesday evening, allowing frequent showers in the overnight period to fall as snow, especially over high ground.  Where snow does occur it is likely to be heavy and produce a covering quite quickly.”

Heavy rain is expected across many parts, lasting from Wednesday afternoon until Thursday morning. Forecasters say this weather system has the potential to produce 20-40mm of rainfall, with as much as 60-80 mm over higher ground in the west. These rainfall amounts are likely to lead to standing water and also the risk of localised river flooding

Severe gales are also expected to develop on Wednesday. Wind gusts of 50-60 mph are likely quite widely through the area, whilst gusts of 75 mph are likely around southern and western coasts and over exposed hills. The strongest winds will be in southern and western exposure, where severe gales are likely.

The public should be aware of the risk of disruption to travel due to standing water and spray as well as localised flooding. Strong winds could also disrupt power supplies.

Forecasters say that the track of the developing low is still “open to some doubt”, these warnings will be reviewed over the coming days.