Snow storm Emma to UNLEASH weather HELL on UK: Terrifying charts of FURIOUS lashing TODAY
TERRIFYING winter weather charts show furious Storm Emma unleashing hell across Britain.
WXChart shows Storm Emma moving across Britain
Britain is on RED ALERT for what now threatens to be the most dangerous snowstorm to hit the nation in three decades.
Storm Emma will spew almost 12 STRAIGHT HOURS of blizzards, torrential snowfall and violent 70mph gales across England through tonight.
Britons have been warned to stay home and avoid all but essential travel from later this afternoon and into tomorrow with TWO FEET of snow forecast.
As freezing easterly winds blow in from Siberia, the storm, laden with moisture from the sea will smash the western side of the UK.
Two masses of air will meet bringing a rare and potentially deadly union which could see parts of England suffer the worst winter whiteout in history.
The Met Office warned the storm will smash into the southwest coast of Britain from around 3pm today.
It will tear across the nation through tonight and into the early hours of tomorrow with impacts threatening to bring swathes of Britain to a standstill.
Government forecasters have issued the first ever red warning for England since the alert system was introduced.
Four-tiers of severe weather warnings are used ranging from very low to high, the last red snow warning was issued in January 2013 in South Wales.
Chief forecaster Andy Page said: “A spell of heavy snow and blizzard conditions is expected.
“The snow will be accompanied by very strong easterly winds leading to severe drifting.
“Some places could also see significant ice build up due to freezing rain from later on Thursday evening, most likely in the south of the area.
“Long delays and cancellations of public transport seem highly likely.
“Some roads are likely to become blocked by deep snow, stranding vehicles and passengers.”
The Met Office said up to two feet of snow could fall across parts of southern England before Emma departs late tomorrow morning.
It is likely to be the most sever whiteout to affect parts of the country since the mammoth snowstorm of 1991.
The storm will hit on the first day of the meteorological spring with today shaping up to be the coldest start to spring ever.
The lowest temperature for March 1 is -20C (-4F) recorded in the Highlands of Scotland in 1986 as temperatures prepare to dip to -15C (5F) tonight.
With wind-chill whipped up by Storm Emma, it could feel close to -20C (-4F) tonight in northern Scotland.