Multiple areas of the UK will be hit by a ‘big snow event’ only days before Christmas, new forecasts show, with high winds creating the added risk of blizzard conditions
Video Unavailable
UK weather map shows period of snow
Snow is set to fall in multiple parts of the UK just days before Christmas, according to new weather maps.
Forecasts from WXCharts show dark purple patches representing snow moving across Wales, East Yorkshire, western Scotland, areas surrounding the Pennines and Northern Ireland on Sunday 22 December. Manchester, Cardiff and Belfast are among the major cities set to be blanketed, while as much as 7cm per hour could fall over the Peak District during the peak hours of the wintry storm. A few areas in the north will also see heavy rain, including West Yorkshire and the far northern coast of Scotland.
It comes as another forecaster predicted a “big snow event” coming this weekend. In a new update today, James Madden from Exacta Weather said: “Throughout late tomorrow evening (Saturday) and into Sunday, we will be cold enough for widespread and heavy snow showers to start developing across large parts of the country (even to lower levels). Throughout Saturday afternoon and evening, we will see the first of these widespread and heavy snow showers forming and falling across some large parts of Scotland and large parts of northern England and potentially to parts of northeast England and also across parts of Northern Ireland.
“These heavy snow showers are very likely to bring some significant and accumulating snow across higher ground in combination with accumulating snow over a large span of some much lower levels in these parts. The snow showers will continue for much of Sunday and could also become temporarily problematic across parts of Yorkshire and some central/Midland regions and in eastern parts of Ireland.”
Mr Madden also said that current forecast indicators show snow showers stretching as far south as southern and eastern England during Sunday, and even the chance of some “wintry weather or snow” appearing in London. Many areas of the UK will also be very windy, he added, creating the risk of blizzard conditions.
National Severe Weather Warnings have meanwhile been issued for both Saturday and Sunday due to the risk posed from “very strong winds”. The Met Office said transport disruption is likely during the busy pre-Christmas weekend, including delays to road, rail, air and ferry services. The warning area will cover Northern Ireland, northern England and all of mainland Scotland.
