It’s warmer than Greece but then get ready for snow

SNOW is on its way to parts of Britain after a mild weekend will make the country warmer than Greece.

December will get off to a warm start as mild air from the South-west moves northwards. It will cause temperatures to linger in the low to mid-teens Celsius in southern England, above average for the time of year.

London is expected to hit a peak of around 60F (15C) tomorrow and Sunday. But in Athens the mercury will stay in single figures as high pressure over Russia drives colder air across south-eastern Europe.

The mild conditions are expected to remain in the South during the beginning of the week but temperatures will start to fall further north, with Northern Scotland shivering in temperatures of around 5C and snow expected on higher ground.

Forecasters predict the cold will start spreading south by Tuesday with low pressure developing in the Atlantic bringing the possibility of wintry storms sweeping across the UK from next week.

“There is a possibility that as we go into Tuesday we could see some snow in the North, Scotland, Northern Ireland and North Wales,” said Met Office spokesman Luke Miall. “It will be mostly on high ground but nothing particularly disruptive. If we have some showers in the North we may see some winteriness. In the South, generally during the start of next week it will be cold and wet instead of anything wintery.

“The snowy weather in the North may come during the latter part of the day.

“It will move through quite quickly and will be over higher ground, so it will be in the hills and mountains.”

The forecast for the middle of December is for more mild but unsettled weather, added Mr Miall. “As we head into the middle of December there are signs that it will turn unsettled again with more generally wet and windy weather affecting the UK,” he said. “This will bring heavy rain and gales or severe gales, with a chance that it may even turn stormy at times. Overall, it is likely to be mild across much of the country with snow tending to be confined to hills in the North.”

Yesterday police were searching for a couple after their car was found washed up on a beach amid bad weather which has hit the South-west of Scotland.

James and Susan Kenneavy’s Ford Kuga was found empty on Drummore beach near Stranraer early on Thursday.

Heavy rain had caused coastal flooding along the Drummore coastal road, which police say had been closed on Thursday night.

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