The UK is bracing for its second named storm of the season, Storm Bert, which is expected to bring snow, rain, and strong winds this weekend.

Wind gusts could reach up to 70mph in some areas, while heavy snow may cause further disruptions. Western parts of the country are likely to experience significant rainfall.

Earlier this week, heavy snow led to widespread school closures. On Thursday, over 114 schools were shut in the Highland council area, including Inverness Royal Academy, where prelim exams were postponed. Nearly 40 schools were closed in Aberdeenshire, with many others delaying their openings. In Moray, about 12 schools were closed, while others opened late. More than 100 schools and nurseries across Scotland were closed on Wednesday due to the severe weather.

In England, 89 schools were shut in Devon on Thursday, 18 in Dorset and 60 in Cornwall. In Wales, about 10 were closed in Conwy, 18 in Denbighshire and two in Wrexham.

Met Office forecasters have issued a yellow warning of snow and ice for much of Scotland, northern England and parts of western and eastern England and Wales between midday on Thursday and 10am on Friday. They had previously issued a yellow warning for snow and ice across northern Scotland until midday on Thursday, with 2cm to 5cm of snow expected fairly widely.

The weather has also caused transport disruption, with Stagecoach Highland services in Inverness suspended because of road conditions and Stagecoach Bluebird services in Moray disrupted.

Parts of south-west England – including Plymouth and Exeter – are under a yellow warning for snow until 3pm on Thursday, with 5-10cm predicted in higher parts of Dartmoor.

The Met Office chief meteorologist, Matthew Lehnert, said: “A northerly airflow will continue to feed snow showers into Scotland over the next few days, with this reaching lower levels at times and bringing the potential for some travel disruption.

“Overnight temperatures will drop below zero fairly widely over the next few days, which has resulted in some ice warnings, with further warnings likely through this week.

“On Thursday, a mixture of snow, sleet and rain is likely to affect the south-west, which could potentially bring disruption. It’s likely high ground in the area will see snow, with a mixture of conditions likely at lower levels.”

A more severe amber alert for heavy snow and ice will be in force between 7am and 5pm on Saturday in an area north of Scotland’s central belt, where 10-20cm is likely on ground above 200 metres and as much as 20-40cm on hills above 400 metres.

The warning covers parts of Angus, Perth and Kinross, Stirlingshire, Aberdeenshire and some of the Highlands, and Argyll and Bute. Forecasters said power cuts and travel disruption are likely and there is a good chance some rural communities could become cut off.