UK weather forecast: Storm Deirdre sweeps in bringing heavy snow, freezing rain and gales
The Met Office issued a series of weather warnings for snow, ice and freezing rain across parts of the UK, as storm Deirdre hit.
Sunday 16 December 2018 05:08, UK
Ice, snow and freezing rain caused delays and treacherous driving conditions on one of the last major shopping days before Christmas.
Most the British Isles faced an onslaught of severe weather on Saturday as storm Deirdre swept in.
The Met Office said the worst of the storm's impact had passed overnight, with milder conditions expected on Sunday.
But police forces across the country were left dealing with numerous reports of collisions triggered by the conditions.
Multiple crashes were reported between junctions 15 and 17 of the M74 in southern Scotland.
Police in Dumfries tweeted: "Road described as very icy with multiple vehicles crashed. It appears the freezing rain may have arrived on the motorway."
Traffic Scotland warned drivers of heavy snow causing delays on the A9 between Perth and Aviemore.
The A84 was said to be "impassable" in both directions north of Callander due to heavy snowfall.
Between 40 to 50cm of snow fell in the central highlands, the Met Office said.
It warned that melting snow and incoming rain due on Monday could create a risk of "localised flooding".
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Social media video footage showed planes at Manchester airport aborting landings due to strong crosswinds.
Storm Deirdre's arrival was also a blow to retailers on what should been a major pre-Christmas shopping day.
Saturday footfall across UK high streets was down by 9.1% by 3pm, retail intelligence firm Springboard reported.
Simon Partridge, a meterologist at the Met Office, said on Saturday evening: "The majority of the rain and the snow has cleared into the North Sea.
"We've had a number of roads that have been closed due to ice and blocked by vehicles that have slid out of control."
He added: "It doesn't seem that anything too bad has occurred from what we are aware of, hopefully the message got through to the right people at the right time."
He said the weather warnings had been reduced across the country, with only one amber warning of snow in central Scotland still in place.
Mr Partridge said wind speeds reached more than 70mph off the Welsh coast.
He said skies would start to clear on Sunday, but cold temperatures meant ice patches would remain.
People could expect "milder conditions" with lighter winds and "temperatures returning closer to normal for the time of year".
The cold weather is being triggered by an active low-pressure system moving in from the Atlantic.
The good news is the cold weather is not expected to last long, with temperatures expected to creep back up to 8C or 9C at the start of next week.