You can almost hear the groans across the British Isles as the latest storm is named.

But thankfully for the Isle of Man, Storm Goretti is unlikely to cause many problems when it arrives on Thursday.

Parts of Cornwall, Wales and southern England are set to be battered by strong winds and heavy rain, while other areas of the UK are forecast to see more significant snowfall.

However, the island is expected to escape with relatively settled conditions for the time of year.

The Isle of Man Met Office says the only impact locally is likely to be flight disruption due to conditions at airports across the water.

Forecaster David Britton said: ‘The low, Storm Goretti, is tracking across southern England and affecting Wales.

‘It will miss us almost entirely. The only way it is likely to affect the Island is through disruption to flights on Thursday and possibly Friday morning because of weather elsewhere.

‘Winds are not expected to cause issues, as Storm Goretti is not impacting the Irish Sea. That means there should be no problems with Steam Packet sailings.’

Snow and ice caused disruption earlier in the week after wintry showers fell on Sunday and Monday, particularly in the north and east of the Isle of Man.

Schools and the airport closed, while motorists became stranded on some roads.

However, after an icy start, conditions eased on Tuesday, with snow largely melting away by Wednesday morning, although the Mountain Road remained shut for much of the day.

Isle of Man Today asked the Met Office earlier whether any further snow was expected.

Forecaster Stuart Davison said: ‘We’re not really expecting any significant snow for the rest of the week.

‘There may be a little over the hills, but I don’t think there will be anything at low levels.’

On Wednesday, Mr Britton said there could be a few flurries on higher ground later in the week.

He said: ‘It looks like there may be some snow on the hills, possibly first thing on Thursday and perhaps again on Friday during the day.’

As it stands, Thursday is expected to be cloudy and mainly dry, with outbreaks of rain later. Highs of 7C are forecast, although there may be some frost early on.

Friday could be more showery, with wintry conditions possible on higher ground and highs of 6C.

Looking ahead to the weekend, Saturday is forecast to be bright with sunny intervals and highs of 6C, while Sunday is expected to be wetter, with wintry conditions possible on higher ground and the potential for gale-force winds.

Highs of 7C are forecast.