A weather bomb will split in two and cause snow to cascade across the UK, new maps have shown. The next few days appear set for a dramatic shift, with the nation’s forecast turning from a mild Christmas to a chilly New Year.
Temperatures will plummet from a low to mid-single-figure average to 0C and below in some places. Where the mercury reaches its lowest, snow will follow, according to new weather maps from WXCharts.
But the weather system will split into two, bringing snowfall down into northern England, and possibly even further south. Charts from the weather service, which receives data from MetDesk, show rain pelting the UK on New Year’s Eve, and snow falling across Scotland.
On New Year’s Day, snow showers will hit the Scottish west coast, settling to a depth of several centimetres.
The enduring showers will split in half by Tuesday, January 2, and mix with rain south of the Scottish border. They will reach as far as North Yorkshire, with some flurries over the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales.
The maps show that snow could remain lightly scattered over the area until Saturday, January 13. By January 16, snow depth maps show between 1cm and 2cm settled over Yorkshire and parts of the east coast near Newcastle.
The latest forecast is subject to change, however, with the weather trickier to predict the further into the future forecasters look.
The Met Office typically only forecasts five days, as this is when charts are the most accurate.
But the agency has said that the January 5 to 14 period will likely be cold, as the maps show, with a trend “towards more settled and somewhat colder conditions” taking shape.
The lower temperatures will mean it is increasingly likely that precipitation could fall as “sleet and snow”, and there is also a chance of freezing fog.
