Advanced weather modelling maps show exactly when a 12-hour Arctic storm could bring more snow to the UK – it comes amid warnings from the Met Office over a blast of cold air from Europe
A wintry storm looks set to spiral over the British Isles next week – with snow possibly falling at a rate of 5cm per hour across large swathes of the country.
The 12-hour Arctic storm comes amid warnings from the Met Office that a blast of cold air from Europe could “increase the chance” of snowfall as we approach the end of January. Maps from WXCharts, which uses Met Desk data, shows almost all of Britain turning purple on Saturday, January 25, to indicate the arrival of more heavy snow.
Brits could be waking up to a winter wonderland with a number of areas already blanketed by the early hours. Snowfall looks set to begin falling in the West Midlands, north-east, and north-west, as well as parts of Scotland at midnight. Within these regions, Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Inverness are among the cities in the firing line.
By 6am, a huge swathe of the country will be covered – with snow stretching from Southampton to Inverness. Temperatures will also remain chilly, averaging at 0C across the country, and dipping to -1C in Edinburgh.
Snow depth charts for midday on January 25 show large parts of Wales, northern England and Scotland with some of the white stuff settled on the ground. Accumulations could reach 7cm close to Manchester and 8cm in the Scottish Highlands. And it comes after the Met Office warned a blast of cold air from Europe could “increase the chance” of snowfall as we approach the end of the month.
The Met Office’s forecast from January 22 until January 31 reads: “A transition to a rather more changeable and at times unsettled weather pattern is likely to occur during the first few days of this period. Outbreaks of rain and freshening winds will probably make inroads from the southwest during Thursday ahead of conditions more widely becoming wetter and windier by next weekend.
“Whilst a milder, wetter and windier scenario is considered most likely, there remains a small chance that colder air from Europe may continue to feed into northern Britain, especially at first, increasing the chance of snowfall here. Towards the end of January, further periods of strong winds and heavy rain are likely to move in from the Atlantic. Whilst generally mild conditions look to close out the month, some large day to day changes in temperature are possible.”
