Shocking weather maps have turned bright orange as the UK is battered by a rare weather event.
WXCharts show that temperatures will plummet and parts of Scotland (Inverness, the Cairngorms, Perth) will be hit by a phenomenon known as freezing rain on the morning of November 15.
There will also be some snow over Ullapool, Dingwall, the Cairngorms, Dufftown, Brechin, Strathcarron, Edinburgh, Galashiels and Hawick and rain over Northern Ireland.
Freezing rain is an incredibly potent phenomenon whereby liquid rain freezes the moment it hits a cold surface. The Met Office explained that it is not something that happens often in the UK and that “quite specific” conditions are needed for it to occur.
As well as causing icicles to form on cars and buildings, the Met Office warned that freezing rain can cause serious devastation. They said: “However, it is not just these eye-catching scenes which the freezing rain can bring.
“The weight of the ice can sometimes be heavy enough to bring down trees and power lines, and the glaze of ice on the ground effectively turns roads and pathways into an ice rink. The freezing rain can also prove extremely hazardous for aircraft.”
On how the droplet becomes ice when it hits a cold surface, the Met Office explained: “Freezing rain tends to start its life as snow, ice, sleet or hail, but passes through a layer of air that’s above 0 °C on the way down to the ground, melting into a liquid water droplet.
“If these droplets then fall through a zone of sub-zero air just above the ground, they become supercooled. When these supercooled droplets strike surfaces that are close to or below freezing, they freeze on impact forming a glaze of ice.”
The Met Office said of the period: “After a relatively settled start to November, around mid-month there will probably be a change toward more unsettled conditions for a time. This means an increased chance of periods of wet and windy weather for parts of the UK, perhaps more so in the south.”
This Evening and Tonight:
Rather cloudy, with some outbreaks of drizzle here and there. An increasing chance of some breaks developing in the cloud across the south with a risk of fog developing. Winds strengthening for northwest Scotland with some outbreaks of rain arriving.
Thursday:
Staying mostly dry and mild although fairly cloudy with occasional brighter or clearer breaks, the latter allowing some fog to form overnight. Windy in the north, with outbreaks of rain.
Outlook for Friday to Sunday:
Remaining settled Friday and into the weekend, however it will remain cloudy, particularly across the south with patchy drizzle in places. Bright or sunny spells developing more widely on Sunday.