UK weather forecast: Continuing mild with gusty winds
Up to six inches of snow are set to blanket Scotland and parts of northern England within days, though the south is likely to escape a dusting, a weather expert has said. Jim Dale, Senior Meteorologist at British Weather Services, told Express.co.uk snow forecast for later this week will be confined largely to the north of Britain as two weather fronts battle for supremacy.
His comments came after the Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for snow on Thursday (February 8) with travel disruption, power cuts and the possibility some of communities being cut off.
Mr Dale, talking about the snow, said: “This is a northern experience. It’s not a southern experience. I don’t think it will happen south of the Midlands. People in northern parts of the Midlands might well get some.
“They are in a zone between colder, Arctic air and milder air coming up from the south.”
The senior meteorologist explained colder air from the north is battling with milder air from the south, but the chillier air will win to a degree in northern Scotland from Tuesday (February 6) before winging its way southwards.
READ MORE Met Office snow warning as latest maps show exact time ice blast will hit UK
A map showing a band of snow over southern Scotland and northern England at 9am on February 8 (Image: WX Charts)
The Scottish Highlands and Grampian regions will see the bulk of the snow, but the Pennines, North Yorkshire, parts of Cumbria, Lancashire and possibly north Wales will see some fall.
Staffordshire might also see snow, though it probably won’t last as milder air then pushes northwards bringing rain behind it, according to Mr Dale.
He added: “But the picture is delicate, quite complex and not something to say this is exactly what will happen. Two air masses are fighting for supremacy… The north looks cold and wintery, the south, milder and rainy.”
Mr Dale said the immediate problem is localised flooding in north west Scotland on Monday (February 5), adding: “That’s the front messing about until it comes south.”
A yellow weather warning for rain issued by the Met Office is in force until 9pm on Monday, with the possibility of flooding and travel chaos in the Scottish regions of Central, Tayside & Fife, the Highlands & Eilean Siar and Strathclyde.
A weather map showing snow over Scotland at midday on February 9 (Image: WX Charts)
- Support fearless journalism
- Read The Daily Express online, advert free
- Get super-fast page loading
Mr Dale said temperatures in the glens could fall as low as -5C to -6C during the spell of snow forecast later this week, with the same possible in the north of England. The south won’t see much below 8C to 9C, according to the meteorologist.
He warned people in Staffordshire, Cheshire, Lancashire and Greater Manchester could be in for “an interesting time” weather wise as the Arctic air and milder conditions pushing up from the south vie for the upper hand.
Snow depths of five to six inches are also possible in the Highlands and Grampian regions of Scotland, though it is a “fast-moving” picture, according to Mr Dale.
Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist Chris Almond said while the early part of this week will see some at times heavy rain gradually sinking southwards, there is an increased signal for wintry hazards moving through the week as cold air from the north moves over the UK.
He added: “It’s from Thursday that the snow risk becomes more potentially impactful, as mild air attempts to move back in from the south, bumping into the cold air and increasing the chance of snow developing on the leading edge. While there are still lots of details to work out, the initial snow risk looks highest in northern England and Wales from Thursday.
“One to two centimetres is possible to low levels, with 10-20cm possible over the highest ground within the warning area. This snow will likely gradually transition to sleet and rain later on from the south.”
A map showing areas covered by the Met Office’s yellow rain warning on Monday (February 5) (Image: Met Office)
This map shows the areas covered by the Met Office’s snow warning on February 8 (Image: Met Office)
The latest weather maps produced by WX Charts using data from MetDesk show a band of snow stretching across southern Scotland, north Wales and northern England by 9am on Thursday.
This clears from northern England and is confined to much of Scotland by midday on Friday (February 9), according to WX Charts.
The Met Office said on Monday that with a developing weather situation, it is likely warnings will be issued and amended through the week, with an ongoing chance of ice warnings for some.
Temperatures could drop as low as –10C in rural parts of Scotland on Wednesday night, though it will be less cold further south, according to the forecaster.
Met Office five-day forecast
Today:
Most areas will have a dry, cloudy, windy but mild day. Patchy rain and fog affecting western hills. A few brighter breaks. Scotland will see more persistent rain, heaviest in the west, and with some snow in the northeast.
Tonight:
Rain moving south across Scotland and affecting Northern Ireland and northern England. Cloudy, windy, but mild further south with patchy drizzle. Clearer with wintry showers and icy patches further north.
Tuesday:
Rain, some heavy, continuing south across England and Wales. Staying mostly dry, but windy in the southeast. Brighter, colder weather developing across Scotland and Northern Ireland, with some wintry showers.
Outlook for Wednesday to Friday:
Mostly fine, but colder on Wednesday with early frost. Patchy rain far south and wintry showers in north. Rain, with some snow moving north across many areas Thursday and Friday.
