Snow maps show 37cm falling in monster 280-mile whiteout as temperatures plummet | Weather | News
The UK’s mild winter will come to a bitter end within weeks as weather maps predict up to 37cm of snow will fall and temperatures will drop well below freezing.
Cold weather is scheduled to move into the UK on January 9, and according to WXCharts, Brits will notice a sharp change between Thursday and Friday; Forecasts will range from around 10-16cm of snowfall in the north to over 20cm and a staggering 31cm in some areas. The maps also predict temperatures will drop to an icy -8C, which could be accompanied by cold northerly winds and create potentially dangerous driving conditions.
England will be covered from London to Newcastle, but charts show the north will be the worst affected area, with around 18cm of snow forecast over Newcastle, 28cm in Manchester and up to 31cm in Yorkshire.
Birmingham will be covered in 16cm of snow, stretching as far as Wales, according to forecasts, while the south and Midlands will also be spared.
Forecasts suggest there may be a light dusting of 2cm in Norfolk, as will parts of Cornwall, but London and the south coast will miss out.
WXCharts says it will get even colder the next day, dropping to -11C by lunchtime, with up to 33cm of snow predicted in Yorkshire. The site adds that the south coast will still remain dry but heavy snow will make its way into the Midlands from the west.
It looks like Wales and Scotland will also bear the brunt of the icy blast. Up to 32cm of snow is expected in north-west Wales, shown in dark purple on maps. Forecasters predict that snow depth will reach up to 47 cm in Scotland, at the very tip of the country.
Northern Ireland is also expected to get up to 14cm of snow, although this is much less than in England.
WXCharts maps show wintry conditions will continue through the weekend, with even more rain predicted the next day.
The Met Office admits snowfall is difficult to predict and its separate forecast differs from WXCharts. However, it is also forecast that cold northerly winds could become dominant in the UK in the first week of January, bringing “torrential showers (mostly snow)” to many coastlines and inland exposed areas.
The long-range forecast from January 2 to January 11 said: “More consistent bands of rain, sleet and snow are likely to occur in the south and these may bring the risk of longer-lasting wintry rainfall affecting some inland areas.
“Towards the second half of this period, slightly milder conditions will try to come from the west.”
