When will it next snow in the UK?

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The Met Office has given its verdict on whether Brits can expect to see snow next week, with temperatures forecast to drop.

This week has seen a string of record-breaking November temperatures due to “exceptionally” mild weather, including the warmest Bonfire Night on record. But as we approach mid-November, winter may indeed be around the corner, with reports of potential snow attracting attention.

To talk Independent, Met Office Meteorologist Simon Partridge said northern parts of England could see snowfall next week but added that warm weather from the south meant there was still “everything to play for”.

Simon Partridge says next week’s prediction is still ‘all to play for’ (Owen Humphreys/PA Tel)

“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 Mr Partridge warned a lot could change between the current forecast and next weekend; Some weather systems are predicting that an updraft of warm air from the south could lead to mild temperatures and gray conditions similar to those seen this week.

“Right now it looks like warm air will come from the south and cold air will come from the north,” he said. “It won’t take very long for the warm air to come out at the top, which means it will probably be like this week.”

But he added that there was definitely the potential for colder air to arrive from northern parts of the UK and this could result in some snow. He added that it was not unusual for the white stuff to be sprinkled in Scotland in mid-November, despite the country having had above-average temperatures this week.

“The chances of snow in Scotland look limited at the moment,” he said. “But just like warm air could move in, there’s a chance cold air could move a little further south. There’s still something to play for and we’ll see how the forecast evolves next week.”

It comes after a mild October with above average temperatures. The average temperature in October was temporarily 0.7°C above the 1991-2020 average; Scotland and Northern Ireland experienced slightly warmer conditions than the rest of the country.