The Midlands will see similar totals, with some exceptions outside Manchester in the Peak District, where settled snow could pile up to 6cm high, and in the North Pennines and Lake District.
Scotland appears likely to receive the highest totals, between 12cm and 19cm, but, again, primarily over high ground, with lower-lying cities like Edinburgh unlikely to see anything more than a scattering of snow.
Whether any of that snow is likely to prompt warnings from authorities like the Met Office remains to be seen, with the forecast still too far off for meteorlogists to draw any concrete conclusions about potential impacts.
Snow maps have captured a snow and ice bomb on the horizon, with a deep freeze seen roaring towards the UK from the European mainland. The country has recently seen the arrival of a bitter January cold snap that has sent temperatures below zero, down to -8C in some areas.
Several weather warnings have followed, one of which from the Met Office concluded early this morning. But a vast system looming over the English Channel appears likely to only cause more chaos long after the latest alerts have expired.
Maps show what appears to be a wave of snow moving north through the country from the south coast arriving by January 17.
The maps from WXCharts show the bitter cold powering a wave of precipitation set to cross the Channel next week. A large purple band depicts a wave of snow heading northwards from the south coast over the day, with the system’s output on course to cross 1cm of snow per hour.
The Republic of Ireland, especially around Cork, and a broad part of the south Midlands and southeast England are likely to see the most intense snowfall, the maps suggest.
Totals in those areas, which include London, are likely to reach beyond 2cm per hour, exceeding the flurries seen earlier this week.
The vast band could end up depositing flurries over a significant portion of the country, covering from St Davids in Pembrokeshire, Wales to Southwold in Suffolk.
The snow is also likely to settle over that vast 388-mile area, depth maps show, but only in a few select areas, with rain following close behind the flurries on course to wipe out any shallow coverage.
As the system moves upwards, it will deposit lasting totals over Wales, primarily over high ground in the north, to depths between 1cm and 3cm.
The Met Office long-range forecast from January 13 to 22 adds: “Cloudy, with patchy light rain or drizzle for central and southern areas, although many areas staying largely dry.
“Sunny spells and scattered showers, wintry in places, further north, most frequent along coasts. Winds will be light with temperatures likely to be a little below average. Into the start of the following week, it is likely to turn colder as northerly winds begin to develop across of the UK and bring a risk of snow showers, particularly across the north.
“Further bands of light rain and drizzle may also sink south at times. There is a very small risk of a period of snow across some southern areas for a time. Confidence is low through the rest of this period, but an increased chance of unsettled conditions returning from the west.”
