Snow, ice, rain and gales will hammer the UK this week, BBC weather forecasters have warned. Storm Gerrit produced an area of low pressure that caused a lasting mess of conditions following Boxing Day this week, with Britons blown away by severe wind and rain during Christmas week.
Meteorologists have predicted that another round of low pressure will press the current trend into the weekend, several days after weather warnings have expired.
While there aren’t any new warnings, the BBC’s weather teams have said the effects will nearly rival Gerrit’s. In their latest update, the forecasters said the incoming high pressure would arrive from the west coast by Saturday afternoon.
Posting on social media, Matt, a forecaster for BBC Weather, said low pressure would bring rain, snow and gales for up to 15 hours.
The stormy conditions arrive at noon on Saturday, December 30, and won’t shift off the east coast until Sunday, New Year’s Eve.
The forecaster wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: “Not another one! Next area of low pressure arrives this weekend. Whilst not expected (at this stage) to be as potent as Storm Gerrit, it will still bring rain and gales to many areas, plus snow to northern hills.”
The Met Office has issued a similar forecast, specifying that people can expect the worst of the coming bad weather to descend on the coast.
The forecasters said: “A spell of wet and windy weather on Saturday with coastal gales, followed by showers and sunny spells on Sunday.”
The forecast added that winds and showers would likely ease on Monday, New Year’s Day, while temperatures would stay “near average”.
Beyond then, the forecast becomes less clear, but the Met Office expects temperatures will descend between Tuesday, January 2 and Thursday, January 11.
The long-range forecast predicts “below average temperatures”, frost, cloud “and some rainfall”, especially in the far south.
The forecast adds: “Thereafter, more settled and calmer conditions are expected to gradually develop quite widely, increasing the risk of frost and fog.”
