Weather maps show unprecedented snowfall could be on the horizon as engineers battle to restore power in Cumbria.
The UK fell victim to the European cold freeze that left 60 percent of the continent covered in snow last weekend, with motorists stranded and homes left without power.
But new weather maps show there is a chance of more snow in the coming weeks, with December 14 set to bring up to 1cm of snow per hour – stretching from Wick in Scotland to Manchester.
The rest of the UK will see rainfall, with temperatures set to drop again. The weekend saw parts of Scotland freeze as temperatures dropped to -10C.
According to Met4Cast, the last time Europe had this much snow cover at this time of year was in 2010.
Electricity North West (ENW) worked to resore power to 99 percent of affected properties on Monday after Cumbria suffered severe snowstorms.
While the Met Office issued yellow weather warnings and urged people not to travel, hundreds of motorists found themselves stranded on the roads and were forced to walk or wait for emergency services.
A major incident was declared as supplies ran low on Saturday. Engineers used drones throughout the day to assess damage and restored power to about 15,000 properties.
Parts of the UK faced an “ice rink” on Monday as snow refroze overnight.
Long-range Met Office weather forecast
Saturday 9 Dec – Monday 18 Dec
This period is likely to often be unsettled with areas of low pressure tracking northeastwards close to or over the UK. This means bands of rain moving in from the west or southwest, interspersed with brighter showery conditions. As such, the wettest weather is likely to be across western high ground, though all parts could see some heavy rain at times. There is a greater than normal likelihood of periods of very windy weather too. A generally relatively mild period for the UK, with above average temperatures more likely than not, especially so in the south and west. However there does still remain the potential for short-lived colder interludes bringing the chance of overnight frost, these more likely to affect northern areas.
Tuesday 19 Dec – Tuesday 2 Jan
Conditions are most likely to be changeable through this period. Wetter and windier than average conditions are slightly more likely than normal, especially in the west and northwest. Temperatures are most likely to be near or above average overall, especially in the south and west. It is possible that there will be further colder interludes, but these likely to be short lived at first. Perhaps a greater chance of a longer cold spell later in the period.
