Snow maps see Britain battered over Christmas with blizzards in London | Weather | News
The festive period may have you glad to spend it indoors, as new weather maps suggest the UK is in for a cold and snowy end to the year. Temperatures could drop to -3C in Newport, Wales, according to a brand new WX Charts map; In nearby Gloucester and Cheltenham, lows could drop to -2C on 30 December. The Brecon Beacons is expected to drop to -2C, Bristol to -1C and parts of London, Southampton, Ipswich, Thanet and Sussex to hover around 0C.
There will also be a cold Christmas period in Scotland; It is expected to be around -1C in the Cairngorms National Park area and around 0C in the Midlands. Similar cold conditions may be experienced in Belfast, with 0C forecast. Netweather’s latest map for Saturday 27 December also shows deep red shadows over London and southern England, suggesting there is an 80% chance of snow in the capital by around 6am. Another WX Charts map for New Year’s Day predicts snow in Stoke-on-Trent and southern Scotland, including the Scottish Borders, around 6pm.
The Met Office also offered a more conservative forecast, saying showers were possible in some areas but conditions were expected to “largely settle”.
The Met Office’s long-term forecast for the period 24 December to 2 January is: “A gradual transition to more settled conditions is expected as high pressure builds across the north of the UK.
This will cause the easterly wind to strengthen over the Christmas period, causing the weather to be noticeably colder than later. Although it will be quite dry weather, it may be wintry in places, especially in the eastern and southern parts, a few showers will still be possible, especially in the higher elevations.
“High pressure slowly drifting westwards towards New Year’s Eve is likely to dominate the weather. This will maintain largely stable conditions, although the possibility of showery conditions may increase later in the period.
“Temperatures will be below average most of the time, with frost likely where clear skies and light winds prevail.”
The Met Office has previously highlighted how difficult it can be to forecast snow in the UK, especially beyond a short-term window.
Even small changes in temperature, wind direction or precipitation intensity can affect whether an area experiences rain, sleet or snow.
In some cases, heavy rainfall can drop temperatures enough for snow to form, while lighter showers can often melt before reaching the ground.
The coldest December on record in the UK in terms of average temperature was 2010; The average was around -0.9°C, the lowest since records began.
