Now it’s the Beast from the Easter!
In all his glory, monarch of the rainbow glen More snow heading our way for holiday weekend
JUST when you thought the bad weather had departed with the ‘Beast from the East’, it seems there could be further clouds on the horizon.
Despite being only one day into spring, forecasters have predicted that parts of the UK, including Scotland, will have a white Easter.
Northerly or easterly winds will deliver snow showers for higher parts of the country from the middle of next week, while falls are expected on lower levels by Easter weekend – bringing the possibility of travel misery for those planning to go away.
Scotland has only just recovered from the whiteout conditions which shut down the country and disrupted businesses for five days at the end of February and beginning of this month.
Now it is feared that another blast of wintry weather could further batter the economy and endanger yet more lives.
It also threatens to wreck Easter weekend plans made by families across the country.
Weathermen explain that the chilly outlook is the result of Easter falling early this year, with Good Friday landing at the end of March.
Breezes from the south-west will swing to the north or east by the middle of next week, forecasters have predicted. Scotland has already suffered from big snowfalls twice this month, but experts say the next episode is not related to the ‘Beast from the East’ but springs from a separate wave of cold conditions.
Martin Bowles of the Met Office said: ‘It is unusual to have a White Easter but not unheard of. There was a widespread White Easter in 2013 and in 2016. Some parts of north-east England experienced some snow.
‘Easter can swing from the end of March until the end of April. When it lands at the end of April, snow is far less likely.
‘We are expecting this coming weekend to be mild and wet. But into the middle of next week, we are seeing temperatures beginning to drop.
‘In Scotland, there is a good chance of snow this Easter.
‘Winds will be coming from the north or east, resulting in snow over the mountains and possibly affecting lower levels on the western side of the country.’ The arrival of the snow is expected to coincide with the school holidays, so parents and pupils should be spared the possibility of school closures, but the impact of the snow could eat into families’ leisure time.
A host of activities laid on to encourage Scots to enjoy Easter days out could be threatened with cancellations as a result of severe weather.
The Edinburgh International Science Festival begins on Easter Saturday and a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party takes place the same day at the National Museum of Rural Life at East Kilbride in Lanarkshire.