Brits are in for a big freeze as this month progresses, with 12 consecutive days bringing 0C temperatures and below in some places. Many across the country have already seen snowfall in 2024, and there’s every chance they and others may see even more as we head towards the end of the month.
According to maps produced by WX Charts, parts of Scotland will remain frozen solid between January 13 and January 25. Meanwhile other areas of the country won’t fare much better, with the lowest temperatures in Manchester fluctuating between -3 and 2 degrees between January 13 and 17.
Forecasts of this specificity and range should be taken with caution, as the Met Office has warned that the temperature and snowfall is very difficult to be precise about when forecasting in advance. However, these maps certainly suggest that the cold snap that the country has seen in recent days isn’t about to abate.
Beyond the seasonal expectation of cold weather in January, what factors are at play to determine why Brits are feeling the chill at this precise moment?
Aidan McGivern, speaking to the Met Office Deep Dive, which anaylses the meteorological drivers behind the UK’s long-range outlook, the forecaster said: “A cold front from the north towards the weekend will mark another change in the airmass for the UK, moving from something with a bit of an Atlantic influence to air that comes more directly from the Arctic.”
According to the experts, this cold front is expected to bring rain with it into northern areas, especially western Scotland.
Met Office Head of Situational Awareness Will Lang said: “There will be a resurgence in the really cold weather through the weekend and that spreads across the whole of the UK during the early part of next week. Initially, this means there will be more in the way of showers around the coasts, turning increasingly to snow for many areas, especially further north.”
A separate weather map, dates Thursday, January 18 at 12pm, shows a huge wall of snow covering large chunks of Scotland and the north of England, while the rest of the UK will be battered by a giant wall of rain.
Meanwhil temperature maps predict that January 16 will be the coldest day during the 12-day big freeze, with temperatures plummeting to -6C in many parts of Britain.
Wednesday, January 10 until Sunday, January 14
Headline:
Sunshine in the south and west. Cloudier elsewhere. Feeling cold.
Today:
Dry across most southern and some western areas with plenty of sunshine, though a cold breeze still blowing. Northern England, central and northern Wales, along with central and eastern Scotland and Northern Ireland, will be cloudier with patchy drizzle.
Tonight:
Largely dry with clear periods and a frost across southern England, parts of south Wales and the west of Scotland. Cloudier skies elsewhere giving the odd spot of drizzle.
Thursday:
Sunshine across the south of England becoming increasingly confined towards the southwest. Some sunny spells across western Scotland and at times Northern Ireland too. Otherwise rather cloudy with some drizzle.
Outlook for Friday to Sunday:
Mainly cloudy on Friday with patchy light rain or drizzle. Brighter, but colder and windier weather slowly spreading from the north during the weekend, with some snow showers in places.
