Britain is set to be battered next by the killer snowstorm currently wreaking havoc in America.

Deadly storm Jonas killed 19 people and caused untold carnage, blanketing America in 40 inches of snow and leaving hundreds of thousands stranded without power.

And after a state of emergency was declared in the snowed-under US, Britons were warned by the Met Office that the same killer storm is set to hit the UK on Tuesday.

Whole States were left in shutdown yesterday after thousands of flights were cancelled, schools and government offices closed and sports and entertainment events called off.

But instead of the snow that is currently battering America’s East Coast, the UK is faced with the prospect of heavy rain and serious floods when the storm makes its way across the Atlantic and finally gives Americans a breather.

A Met Office spokesman said: “An active cold front is expected to become slow-moving across Wales, north-west England and south and west Scotland through Tuesday, and into Wednesday, before clearing to the south on Wednesday afternoon.

“Many parts of the warning area could see 50-100 mm of rain, whilst the most exposed upland parts of north Wales, north-west England and south-west Scotland could see 150-200 mm.

“As such, there is the potential for river flooding, and also standing water on roads. Strong and gusty south-west winds will also develop.”

The Met Office has issued a severe weather warning covering most of Wales, north-west England and west Scotland for rain and flooding.

The storm, which has been described by forecasters as a “once in a generation” event, left New York looking like a snowy ghost town, whilst Washington ground to a halt as public transport was shut down.

Yesterday, police responded to at least 312 car accidents and 343 disabled vehicles across abandoned New York, whilst cops in Virginia dealt with over 1,000 overnight car crashes.

Meanwhile, people living on the coast were left stranded as rescue services battled the adverse conditions and tsunami-sized waves to prevent more accident-related deaths or cases of hypothermia.

Even America’s elite military was caught out by the storm, with the high-tech ‘doomsday plane’ used to coordinate the armed forces grounded by the snowy conditions.

And Americans were forced to hunker down at home across the country as 170,000 people were reportedly left without power.

Curfews in America are set to be lifted by midday UK time today, as the storm eventually winds down and gives Americans a chance to repair the $1bn (£700m) damage. (The Sun, London)

•Photo by Getty Images shows New York ground to a halt by snow over the weekend.