THE MONSTER FREEZE
Polar vortex to batter Britain with icy winds
BRITAIN is preparing to be battered by freezing weather and 70mph icy winds from today.
Yellow weather warnings are in place for the north of the UK and Scotland as a so-called “polar vortex” is on the way.
Temperatures will plummet, feeling as cold as -10C in some parts of the country.
Met Office meteorologist Steven Keates said there would be a real change in the weather.
He said: “High pressure has been our friend for a good few days now.
“But we have got this deep area of low pressure which is going to whizz across the north of the country – bringing some strong winds.
“And as these winds swing round towards the north-west we tap into colder air – particularly for central and eastern parts of the UK.”
Temperatures are expected to dip dramatically at the end of the month when, according to the Met Office, a polar vortex – also known as a Sudden Stratospheric Warming – is set to strike.
Vortex refers to the counterclockwise flow of air, which keeps colder air near to the Poles. But there are times when it expands in size, spewing cold air south into the jet stream.
There are fears that the sudden temperature switch will spark another Beast from the East.
The Met Office said easterly winds will spark a change in weather pattern. Snow could also fall in the north of the country tomorrow and Wednesday.