Signs of spring in short supply as cold fronts arrive
WE MAY technically be in spring now, but don’t let that meteorological definition fool you.
The week ahead is going to feel wintry wherever you are thanks to a series of weather fronts heading down from the north in what will seem like a convoy. Quite what those bulging spring blossoms will make of it all will be worrying many gardeners – and those who like to admire their handiwork.
The cold air will start spreading southwards from the north of Scotland early today, accompanied by increasing cloud and rain that will turn wintry over high ground. Southerly and western areas should be spared the worst – with Cornwall and Devon at 9C (48F), and Northern Ireland 8C (46F) – but nowhere else can hope for more than 7C (45F).
And ,as the working week gets under way, the cold weather fronts just keep coming, with more cloud, more rain and – by Tuesday – the threat of snow even in places at sea level.
Sleet will be a feature for much of Scotland, but how the rest of the UK will fare is a little less certain at the moment. The cold north-easterly wind blowing in from the North Sea all along the eastern seaboard seems to make it a prime candidate for a covering of snow, but other factors could divert it elsewhere. We all need to be prepared.
The thermometers indoors will read anything between 2C and 8C (36- 46F) but with the wind chill it will feel more like -1 to 0C (30-32F), with ice a hazard to look out for in the late evenings and early mornings.
By midweek, mild air will be doing its best to push in from the south-west but it may find it has its work cut out. And even if it makes progress, where that mild air bumps into the cold air from the north, there is a risk of snow.