‘Thundersnow’ could be on way as temperatures likely to tumble
‘THUNDERSNOW’ AND blizzards could sweep away the UK’s mild weather as an Arctic cold spell blowing in from the north looks set to cause temperatures to tumble.
Yellow warnings for wind and snow have been issued by the Met Office, with showers expected to bring 2cm to 5cm of snow at lower levels and 10cm to 20cm on ground above 200 metres.
The warnings affect Scotland, Northern Ireland and parts of the North West from today, and expand to include Wales and eastern England by tomorrow and into Friday. Yorkshire may see snow showers tomorrow.
With the cold air originating over Arctic Canada, Met Office meteorologist Emma Sharples warned: “We could get some blizzard-type conditions, especially at height.”
Talking about “thundersnow”, where the rain associated with a thunderstorm falls as snow, she said: “It is possible, all that really needs is for thunder to happen at the same time as the snow.
“So where you get very active or vigorous showers – which is what we are going to see... then we could well get some thunder as well. It is definitely possible.”
Ms Sharples said the snow at lower levels will come in the form of showers and is unlikely to build up too much, unless there is “shower after shower coming over the same location”.
But she warned: “Even a centimetre of snow in this country can obviously cause some disruption,” adding that there could be “some showers inland, but they are likely to be short-lived”.
Rod Dennis, of the RAC, said drivers should be prepared for “tricky driving conditions”.
Even a centimetre of snow can obviously cause some disruption. Emma Sharples of the Met Office