WEATHER WARNING: THE END OF SNOW..
It might become too hot for the white stuff
SNOW settling on the ground could become a thing of the past in Britain because of climate change, according to research by the Met Office.
It might mean the end of sledging and snowmen across most of the nation within 80 years if no action is taken to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions.
Analysis suggests that as soon as the 2040s most of southern England will not have days which stay below freezing.
And by the 2080s, only very high ground and parts of north Scotland may have freezing days, the predictions suggest. Dr Lizzie Kendon, a Met Office scientist who worked on the climate projections, said: “We’re saying by the end of the century much lying snow will have disappeared entirely except over the highest ground.
“The overarching picture is warmer, wetter winters; hotter, drier summers.
“But within that, we get this shift towards more extreme events, so more frequent and intense extremes, so heavier rainfall when it occurs.
“It’s a big change... in the course of our lifetime. It’s a wake-up call.” It comes as families have frolicked in the snow in parts of Britain in recent days.
The scientific projections are based on an assumption global emissions keep accelerating.
The Met Office says this scenario is credible, but may not be the most likely.
If emissions are cut, the UK could avoid the biggest temperature rises.
The full findings will be revealed on Panorama tonight. Very hot summers may become more common if emissions continue to speed up. Dr Kendon told the BBC programme that exceeding 30C for two consecutive days, which would trigger a public health warning now, could be 16 times more frequent by the end of the century.
Unless emissions stop rising, the analysis suggests the average hottest day in Hayes, West London, might be 40C by 2070, compared with 32C in the period from 1981 to 2000.
Meanwhile, the amount of winter rain could increase by as much as a third.
Panorama: Britain’s Wild Weather is on BBC1 today at 7pm.
Much of the lying snow will have disappeared except on high ground
DR KENDON ON WHAT IT MAY BE LIKE IN 80 YEARS