Met Office verdict on what time Storm Bert will hit Manchester and whether to expect snow

The Met Office has predicted exactly when Storm Bert will hit Manchester this weekend.

An area of low pressure is building over the Atlantic and will hit the UK as Storm Bert, the second named storm of the season, in the early hours of Saturday.

Northern Ireland will see the impact of the storm first, with rain, snow and gales hitting at around 3am. The storm will then move across the UK bringing heavy rain and snow to parts of Scotland and northern England.

READ MORE: Met Office satellite images show Storm Bert 'brewing in the Atlantic' before it hits UK

By lunchtime the snow will start to turn to rain and gales will be widespread across much of the country.

According to the Met Office, Manchester will start to feel the impact of Storm Bert with some heavy rain between 4am and 5am. Strong gusts of wind will arrive in the region between 6am and 7am and last throughout the day and into Sunday.

As for snow, the Met Office told the Manchester Evening News that showers will likely be over higher ground and it is unlikely to stick around for long.

A spokesperson said: "Snow is expected over higher ground to the north and will be quickly replaced by rain. It will feel much warmer through the weekend, with milder air being dragged across the UK by Storm Bert."

A yellow weather warning for rain and snow is in force across much of northern England from 4am on Saturday to 9am on Sunday. Parts of Bury, Bolton, Rochdale and Oldham are covered by the warning but Manchester lies just outside the warning area.

Scotland looks set to be the worst hit, with an amber warning for snow and ice in force for much of Saturday. The Met Office said 10 to 20cm of snow is likely on ground above 200 metres and potentially as much as 20 to 40cm could fall on hills above 400 metres.

Met Office spokesman Oli Claydon said Storm Bert was a “multi-hazard event”. He said: “We’re looking at strong winds, some high snowfall accumulation, heavy rain, all in various different parts of the UK. So it’s quite a complex weather set-up for the weekend. Generally speaking, it’s a very unsettled weekend of weather ahead.”

Avanti West Coast has advised customers not to travel north of Preston – including Lancaster, Oxenholme, Penrith, Carlisle, Glasgow and Edinburgh – on Saturday because of the expected disruption from Storm Bert.

The train company said: "If you were due to travel on this route, your existing ticket can now be used anytime from Friday November 22 to the end of service on Monday November 25."

Meanwhile, RAC Breakdown spokeswoman Alice Simpson warned drivers to be aware of “rapidly changing conditions” on the roads because of Storm Bert.

She said: "Persistent downpours will lead to areas of standing water, so it’s important to keep speeds down as the risk of losing control through aquaplaning on a thin layer of water is far greater. Drivers should also be very wary of puddles as they can sometimes hide dangerous potholes beneath that can cause expensive damage to vehicles."