A rare weather event is likely to hit parts of the UK as the latest weather maps have turned bright orange amidst rain and snow.
Maps from WXCharts suggest that a rare weather phenomenon known as freezing rain is likely to impact some areas on November 23.
The startling weather maps come as the country battles through wintry outbreaks with snow and ice leading to travel chaos and much more.
According to the Met Office, freezing rain is a rare type of liquid precipitation that strikes a cold surface – and freezes almost instantly.
It can produce striking effects, as the rain drop spreads out momentarily across the surface before it freezes, encasing the surface in a layer of clear ice.
WXCharts maps show that areas around Manchester, Newcastle and Belfast are likely to experience this rare event while other areas may be covered under thick layers of snow.
However, it is not just these eye-catching scenes which the freezing rain can bring. The Met Office explained that the weight of the ice can sometimes be heavy enough to bring down trees and power lines, and the glaze of ice on the ground effectively turns roads and pathways into an ice rink.
The forecaster said: “The freezing rain can also prove extremely hazardous for aircraft.”
Explaining how the droplet becomes ice when it hits a cold surface, the Met Office explained: “Freezing rain tends to start its life as snow, ice, sleet or hail, but passes through a layer of air that’s above 0°C on the way down to the ground, melting into a liquid water droplet.
“If these droplets then fall through a zone of sub-zero air just above the ground, they become supercooled. When these supercooled droplets strike surfaces that are close to or below freezing, they freeze on impact forming a glaze of ice.”
