Arctic storm alert as gales, snow and -10C freeze on way
BRITAIN is back on Arctic storm alert with freezing gales, snow and sub-zero temperatures threatening to grip the nation after the weekend.
Temperatures will plunge below freezing by the middle of next week with remote spots dropping under -10C (14F) with windchill.
“Intense” snowfall starting in northern and western areas will persist over several days and move to other parts of the country, threatening to cause travel chaos.
The Met Office said people should be braced for a “significant change” in the weather with strong winds, rain and snow possible through to the end of January.
Stormy conditions from the Atlantic will clash with cold air over Britain triggering heavy snowfall, especially across the north.
James Madden, forecaster for Exacta Weather, said it could be one of the worst winter snaps in years.
He said: “We are currently in the calm before the storm, there are now strong signals for a potent wintry blast to arrive early next week. Westerly winds will clash with colder air to deliver widespread and heavy snow showers across some large swathes of the country.”
He added: “We have to go back a few years to the last time we experienced anything of this potency. This is looking like becoming a notable and lengthy spell of widespread cold and snowy weather.”
Intense
WeatherOnline forecaster Simon Keeling said gale-force winds will whip up stormy conditions next week.
A strong jet stream currently wedged over the UK will pull low-pressure systems into the country, he explained. He said: “Conditions are set to turn more unsettled next week after a fairly quiet weekend.
“There will be strong winds and gales at times.
“With the jet stream overhead, small areas of low pressure could develop bringing localised gales and more intense wintry showers, especially in the west and south.”
The jet stream, a current of air which flows around the northern hemisphere, heavily influences Britain’s weather.
When positioned directly over the UK it pulls stormy weather systems in from the Atlantic like a conveyor belt.
It is forecast to shift slightly to the south next week, opening the floodgates to storms from the west and cold air from the Arctic, experts said.
Temperatures will hover in single figures over the coming days with overnight lows of -3C in the North while the South just touches freezing. Scotland and the North will nudge -10C by the end of next week with the mercury forecast to nosedive below freezing across the UK.
Fog caused difficult driving conditions in western areas yesterday and more is expected this morning.
Met Office forecaster Helen Roberts said: “Into the weekend there will be a gradual increase in the breeze and this will lead to a slight improvement as the air should clear.”