When will spring finally start in the UK?
After briefly flirting with the idea of spring, Britain is dragged into the icy grip of winter as Arctic weather hits the country; A cold relapse that will keep temperatures largely in the single digits and bring snow to many areas through the weekend.
The Met Office issued a yellow warning for snow and ice in central and north-west Scotland on Friday; Here, 2 to 5 cm of snow is expected even at low levels, while up to 10 cm of snow is expected at higher elevations.
A dusting of snow could also arrive in the hills of Northern Ireland, the English Lake District and the Pennines, while elsewhere Friday will bring a turbulent mix of sunshine, rain, sleet, hail, thunder and the occasional rainbow.
Temperatures will struggle to reach double digits everywhere except the Southeast, and while the winds won’t be as strong as Thursday, they’ll remain blustery enough to ensure no one forgets how cold it is.
Showers will be heavy, sharp and often increase the feeling of cold.
“The smell of winter has returned to our air” in question Met Office meteorologist Alex Deakin. “Everywhere is colder than yesterday and for some there is snow flying around.”
While snow is expected to fall mostly in the hills, he expects “some will fall to the lower levels”; Here, sleet and also “the showering rain will also be mixed with hail” is another possible scenario.
The Met Office warned that the bitter disturbance could lead to icy conditions in some areas and lead to hazardous driving conditions later on Friday.
The cold weather will continue until the weekend. A few cold nights can be expected in Scotland and Northern Ireland, with daytime temperatures remaining below average.
Saturday will start off largely bright and vibrant, with spots of sunshine that can feel welcome during the brief moments when the Arctic winds die down. It will rain intermittently in some areas in the afternoon.
But Sunday looks to be cloudier, windier and showerier; The chances of winter weather returning to the North at dusk increase again.
Colder air is expected to stick around until early next week; From now on, as we move into spring, temperatures will finally begin to rise slightly above the mid-March average; A modest consolation prize after a weekend of sleet and hail.
Why is it cold again?
Britain’s weather is currently determined by the source of the air flowing over it, and this air comes directly from the Arctic.
The chain reaction that brought about this Arctic blast began in the United States, where warm air from the Gulf of Mexico collided with Arctic cold and caused deadly storms, tornadoes, and record-breaking hail in Illinois. This violent temperature conflict strengthened the jet stream, and it moved across the Atlantic with wind speeds of more than 200 miles per hour.
This caused a deep low pressure area to form near Iceland. This system swept across the UK on Thursday, bringing with it a new source of Arctic air.
