The Met Office has warned of heavy rainfall and possible snow this weekend, with temperatures set to drop amid more forecasts of the white stuff heading into next week
Brits could be shivering in the snow this weekend with a dramatic shift in weather patterns set to hit on Saturday. Low pressure is set to sweep across the UK, bringing colder conditions and potential “extensive snow” to some parts of the country.
As December approaches, many will be pondering whether we’ll have a white Christmas this year. But we may be waiting that long for the white stuff, according to predictions from forecasters.
The Met Office has mapped out three possible scenarios for Saturday as the weather system develops. The first scenario shows the deepest area of low pressure moving over the mountainous regions of North Wales, before heading north towards the north east of England.
Under this scenario, heavy rainfall is expected to the north, with the possibility of “extensive hill snow” (marked in pink on the map) in areas above 400 metres.
However, before breaking out the sledges and winter boots, it’s worth noting the Met Office has assigned only a 20% probability to this outcome due to current forecast uncertainty.
The more likely scenario (45% probability) sees the low-pressure system hitting its deepest point further south, making heavy rainfall more probable.
The third scenario has the system tracking even further south, bringing heavy rain to south west and south east England.
The Met Office stated: “Low pressure is set to push across the UK this Saturday, but uncertainty remains on the track.
“Depending on its exact movement, different regions have the potential to see heavy rain, strong winds or even hill snow”.
“Stay up to date with the forecast ahead of the weekend.”
The Met Office also issued a warning about possible high winds in the forthcoming days, especially in coastal areas, despite not issuing a formal warning.
They recommended: “With strong winds in the forecast, stay safe if you are at the coast.”
Even if it doesn’t snow on Saturday, temperatures as cold as -4C are on their way in the coming days before a barrage of snow strikes Britain, according to data from WXCHARTS.COM. The data shows freezing temperatures in large parts of northern Britain on Sunday, reports the Express.
showing minimum temperatures at midday suggests almost the whole of Scotland and down through northern England down through the Northwest, the West Midlands, and into Wales could be seeing the mercury drop to 0C or below. The lowest temperatures in Northern Ireland also look set to range between around 1 and -2C at this time.
The coldest temperatures are all Scotland, with 19 locations falling within parts of the nation that could get teeth-chattering lows of -4 to -6C.
The forecast comes after Brits have been warned plans to visit Christmas markets in the first week of December might be called out due to heavy snowfalls.
Advanced weather models indicate as much as seven inches of snow will cause mayhem in some areas of the UK next week.
GFS model maps show a weather front moving in from the Atlantic, initially sweeping across Northern Ireland and Scotland in the early hours of December 3. Heavy snow is expected to fall in central and northern parts of Scotland, whereas Northern Ireland looks set for intense rain.
By midday on December 3, the maps show snow slowly making its way southward, with 1cm per hour flurries drifting towards the Scotland-England border. Snow is then expected in the far north-east of England by 3pm.
A second weather front is then tracked to move in from the Atlantic in the early hours of December 4, this time hitting Wales and central England. Intense snow is expected for a brief period in North Wales, with heavy rain coming down elsewhere.
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