03/01/2014 BBC Weather

Hello. Stormy weather is causing problems on both sides of the

Atlantic and there is a strong link. It has been a very cold start to the

winter in Canada and northern parts of the USA. That has created a very

strong temperature contrast. The atmosphere tries to even that out

and that is what the weather is all about and it generates the

Jetstream. It runs across from west to east across the Atlantic and the

stronger the Jetstream, the bigger the storms that come our way. The

most recent storm has been producing very strong winds through today as

it ran across the north of Scotland. It's dropped the pressure which

increased the threat from those very high tides. It has not been a great

combination. We have got some severe flood warnings in force. But the

weather will start to improve overnight. The winds begin to die

down. That has been a key factor for today. It will be light enough by

the end of the night for a touch of frost. Maybe some icy patches here

and there to the start of the day on Saturday. Further south it is more

rain that is coming back in. It will be a bit patchy. We are not quite

sure where the heaviest rain will be. It will drop onto saturated

ground and will cause a few problems, but that will be fairly

localised. As we move north it turns to snow. Eastern parts of northern

Ireland and even some snow on lower levels is possible. The northern

half of Scotland stays dry and with lighter winds. Lighter winds across

England and Wales. Dry in the afternoon, but some pretty big waves

crashing on to the coast. This storm comes in on Sunday and it is

battering the eastern side of the United States at the moment, so it

will take some time to get to us. Again there will be gales in the

western areas particularly. The amount of the rain and the extent of

the gales will not cause as many problems as over the last few days.