Britons braced for onslaught of downpours and strong winds

The country is braced for a wet and windy start to the week today, with downpours and gusts of up to 70mph set to spread misery across the UK.

Meteorologists said it was unlikely that any region would escape the gloom, with parts of Wales and Scotland expected to bear the brunt of the bad weather, before it spreads east throughout the day.

And the longer term forecast fails to lift the dark skies, with storms expected towards the end of the week as well.

Rachel Vince, forecaster at MeteoGroup, said: "There is a deep low moving in from the north west bringing very strong and gusty winds across the whole of the UK."

Gusts of 40 to 50mph will be typical, with winds picking up to 71mph in parts of western Scotland and the west coast. Gusts will also reach 56mph in areas of the south east.

The windy weather will be accompanied by heavy rain that will spread eastwards throughout the day.

"It is going to be a pretty horrible day," Ms Vince added.

Along with the wind and rain, some areas of the country will also see snow fall today.

Parts of the Scottish Highlands, Cumbria and the Peak District over 400m could see flurries, forecasters said. Parts of Wales and Scotland could also face sleet.

"It is nothing unusual for this time of the year," Matt Dobson of MeteoGroup said, adding: "Most people won't see any snow at all."

The Met Office today issued a number of severe weather warnings, alerting people of heavy rain, severe gales and heavy snow in the Scottish Highlands.

Warnings of gale force winds and heavy rain were also given in Wales, along with heavy rain and heavy snow in parts of the north west of England.

A severe warning of heavy rain was also issued in south west England.

After a brief respite in the middle of the week, storms and heavier winds are due to return around Thursday with the threat of thunder and lightning in western Scotland.