An Atlantic storm is set to blast Britain in the coming days and bring a twin threat of deep snow and torrential rain, according to weather modelling maps.

The ECMWF weather model shows the storm spiralling over the British Isles in the early hours of March 3, with maps truning purple and blue to indicate the arrival of more heavy snow and rain. It comes after the Met Office warned of “colder, showery conditions with a risk of snow” expected to blast the region as we enter a new month.

Snow looks set to fall across all of Scotland, where as much as eight inches is predicted to settle, and travel as far south as Manchester. Cities further south will meanwhile be hit with torrential rain as the storm moves eastward across the country, the weather maps show.

The data also suggests temperatures will dip below freezing in Scotland, plummeting as low as -2C in areas northwest of Edinburgh, while the rest of the country will hover between -1C and 2C.

Several major cities will welcome snow on March 3, including Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle, York, Middlesbrough, Liverpool and all of Scotland. As much as eight inches is set to blanket East Ayrshire, Scotland, while areas close to Aberdeen are expected to see seven inches.

The Met Office warned in its long range forecast from February 24 to March 5 there will be momentary relief from rain before “colder, showery conditions with a risk of snow” are expected to blast the region. Throughout this period, drier spells may also develop at times, the agency added.

Their forecast reads: “The start of this period will see residual rain clearing from the south and far north of the UK, with cooler, fresher, showery conditions becoming established across the UK. Winds will also ease.

“The rest of next week and into early March is rather uncertain though. It is possible that further spells of mild, wet and windy weather affect the UK, interspersed with colder, showery conditions with a risk of some snow in the north. But there is also a chance that drier, more settled conditions develop at times, especially towards the south or southeast of the UK.

“Temperatures are likely to be close to or a little above average overall, although with a risk of overnight frost in between frontal systems or in association with any drier spells.”

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