SOMERSET residents could be waking up to a blanket of snow tomorrow as arctic gales are forecast to sweep across the country.

Scotland and parts of Northern Ireland will bear the brunt of the icy weather in the wake of disruption caused by Storm Caroline.

The ‘yellow warning’ for ice and snow is in place between midnight tomorrow morning and 6pm Saturday.

Met Office graphics show large swathes of the South West, Wales, West Midlands, Northern Ireland, parts of the North East of England and Scotland will all be affected.

The Met Office stated on its website: “During Friday, increasingly frequent snow showers already affecting parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England will extend across many other northern and western parts of the UK. 2-5 cm of snow is likely in places over the warning area. 10-20 cm is possible for some locations, mainly in northern Scotland, Northern Ireland, north Wales and perhaps the northwest Midlands.

“Icy surfaces are also likely to be an additional hazard, especially overnight. The heaviest and most frequent snow showers will progressively become confined to northeast Scotland during Saturday. Possible travel delays on roads 

Western Power Distribution has restored electricity to 9,500 customers across the midlands but remain on ‘amber alert’ due to the weekend forecast for the South West.

Somerset County Gazette: