Brits look set for snow to fall somewhere in England over a staggering 60 hours in a few days as temperatures plunge.
Weather maps generated by WX Charts on New Year’s Day show snow at 6am on Sunday, January 5, continuing to fall in parts of the country until 6pm on Tuesday, January 7.
Up to 3cm of snow looks set to fall per hour in the southwest on Sunday, moving across the south and tracking northwards with a band of rain following behind.
Snow moved across the Midlands, East Anglia, Wales, and the Peak District by 3pm on Sunday. According to WX Charts, some 2-3cm looks set to fall over the same regions and as far north as Greater Manchester by midnight on Monday, January 6.
The white stuff covers a huge swathe of England and Wales at midday on Monday, pushing into southern Scotland. The far north of Scotland and parts of Northern Ireland also look set for snow simultaneously.
Rain is set to affect Cornwall, south Wales and parts of southern Britain, although parts of Dorset, Hampshire, Sussex and Kent look likely to see clear skies at midday on January 6.
The band of snow and rain then shifts south-eastwards on Tuesday, clearing across to mainland Europe, though pockets of snow look set to affect parts of the Scottish Highlands, Northumberland, County Durham and Cumbria at midday on January 7.
Weather maps from WX Charts show snow affecting coasts in North East England and North Cornwall, over parts of the Peak District and around the north of Scotland at 6pm on the same day.
This weekend looks like it could also be a chilly one, with minimum temperatures dropping to single figures on Saturday, January 4, then plummeting as low as -10C in central Scotland at midday on Tuesday, according to WX Charts.
The Met Office said by Thursday (January 2) it is likely the whole of the UK will see a change to colder conditions, persisting into the weekend.
It added: “Wintry showers are expected to affect the far north and east at times, but away from these, sunshine will be much more widespread than in recent days.
“Overnight temperatures will widely fall below freezing, perhaps reaching minus double digits in areas of Scotland already covered in snow.”
The forecaster warns snow and ice are “likely” to lead to some travel disruption and difficult driving conditions on New Year’s Day until January 2 in parts of northern Scotland.
Met Office UK five-day weather forecast
Wednesday, January 1 – Sunday, January 5
Headline: Rain is clearing south, and colder, brighter conditions are following.
Much of England and Wales will experience wet and windy New Year’s Day, but it will turn drier later in the day. Northern Ireland and Scotland will be colder, with a mix of sunshine and wintry showers spreading south.
Rain in the far south will clear tonight, with colder, clearer conditions following for all. Wintry showers will persist around northern coasts. Frost, fog and icy patches are likely to develop.
For many, Thursday will be a cold but mostly sunny day, with wintry showers across northern and eastern coasts. It will be breezy in the east, while light winds will be elsewhere.
The outlook for Friday to Sunday is for mostly cold but sunny weather, with wintry showers mostly confined to coastal areas. Northern areas may see patchy rain, sleet, and snow moving in on Saturdays. Rain is expected in the south on Sunday.
