Met Office pinpoints where snow could fall on Wednesday in new UK forecast | Weather | News
Parts of the UK are preparing to swap umbrellas for snow shovels as the Met Office predicts where snow could fall this week. After one of the mildest starts to November on record, temperatures look set to take a turn; Parts of Scotland are expected to see snowfall as temperatures finally begin to turn wintry.
Following the latest warm weather, including the hottest Bonfire Night on record, the Met Office has warned that colder weather is heading towards Britain, leading to a noticeable drop in temperatures and even the potential for snow. Yellow weather warnings for rain were issued on Tuesday covering parts of Wales, south-east England and south-west Scotland, with heavy rain forecast to last from the early hours of the morning until midnight. However, as the next day approaches, the cold front that will move from the north towards the UK will bring icy conditions that can turn rain into snow.
A Met Office spokesman said much of Scotland would be under the influence of this cold front, leading to night temperatures falling below freezing and a risk of snow in higher elevations.
The spokesman added: “By Wednesday night, cooler air from the north will be available across much of Scotland. This will drop overnight temperatures below freezing and also bring the risk of some snowfall in higher elevations.”
“Lower levels across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, as well as much of Scotland, will continue to see precipitation falling as rain.”
While much of England, Wales and Northern Ireland will likely continue to see rainfall, some of the first snowfall of the season is expected to fall in the form of showers in northern and central Scotland, particularly in higher elevation areas such as the Highlands. Snowfall may begin on Thursday morning as cold Arctic air settles in these regions.
Met Office meteorologist Simon Partridge told The Independent there was potential for northern parts of the UK to see snowfall towards the weekend.
“There’s a chance of snow through next weekend and into next weekend,” he explained. “There are lots of different computer models and they are all running several times a day, but some are coming in with cold air from the north which could possibly lead to some snow in Scotland.”
But the weatherman warned that conditions could easily turn around and remain warm and mild, similar to this week.
He added: “At the moment it looks like there’s warm air trying to come from the south and cold air coming from the north. It won’t take long for the warm air to come out of the top, which means it’ll probably be like this week.”
“The chances of snowfall in Scotland at the moment look limited. But just as warm air could move in, there’s also a chance of cold air moving a little further south. There’s still something to play for and we’ll see how the forecast develops next week.”
