Millions of Britons could be in for a brutal blast of sub-zero temperatures in just days, as rain and snow batters much of the UK, new weather maps suggest.
Forecast data from WXCharts.com and Netweather shows vast swathes of the country shivering in freezing temps on Friday, December 20, the eve of the winter solstice.
Netweather’s minimum temperature chart for that day shows the mercury falling to below 0 across large stretches of southern half of England, with major cities including Birmingham currently forecasted to shivering in -0C.
Areas around London are also currently forecasted to be in the -0 range, though in the capital itself temps are estimated to drop to 3C at their coldest.
Patches of England, Wales, and most of Northern Ireland are forecast to be just above 1C, though for many it could be considerably colder.
Scotland could see the worst of it, the maps suggest, with the dial dropping to as low as -7C in an area around the northeast of Cairngorms National Park.
Meanwhile, a separate WXChart map tracking precipitation, snow depth and thickness at 6pm that day, shows rain lashing the country with cities including Manchester, Birmingham and Cardiff as downpours in excess of 1mm per hour loom.
Scotland is forecast to see snow in northern areas and downwards through the Highlands, in areas including Inverness, with some areas forecast for as much as 7cm of snow per hour.
In its long range forecast for Tuesday, December 17, to Thursday, Dec 26, the Met Office anticipates “mild conditions” with “many areas dry on Tuesday aside from rain over some western hills.
“Through the middle of next week, conditions are expected to turn widely unsettled with spells of heavy rain and strong winds possible for all regions,” it continues.
Temperatures are expected to fall back to around if not a little below average for a time later next week, with generally “mixed conditions” after that.
“High pressure will attempt to build across the south of the country at times but looks unlikely to become dominant as spells of wet and windy continue to arrive from the west.
“Temperatures likely varying around average with both some milder and colder interludes to be expected.”
Any snow will “most likely restricted to high ground”, the government agency predicts, though it could “temporarily fall at lower levels in the north during colder interludes”.
A yellow weather warning for rain will be in place from 6pm on Sunday to noon on Tuesday, covering large areas of western Scotland, with the Met Office warning of potential flooding, loss of power, as well as traffic delays on road and rail.
You can find the Met Office’s latest warnings, guidance, and forecasts here.
