Parts of the UK are poised to be hammered by around 60 hours of snow in a few days’ time with an Arctic blast possibly looming.
Snow looks set to grip part of western Scotland from midday on December 9 and spread to Northern Ireland, mid Wales and parts of Cumbria and Lancashire by midnight on December 10.
It then retreats, covering a large swathe of the west of Scotland by midnight on December 11, according to the latest weather maps generated on Wednesday (November 27) by WX Charts using Metdesk data.
If the charts prove to be accurate this far out, then the snow will have largely cleared from the whole of the UK by 6am on December 11.
Netweather’s December forecast says the weather will become more unsettled with westerly winds and the potential for a mid-Atlantic ridge to form, which increases the chances of an Arctic blast, particularly in northern Britain.
It adds: “This means that there could be snow for some, particularly on high ground and in the north. Overall, the weather during this period is expected to be more unsettled, but not particularly wet, with high pressure often quite close to the south and/or west of the British Isles.”
The Met Office’s long range forecast for December 1 to December 10 doesn’t mention snow at all. It expects the start of that period to be unsettled, with showers or longer spells of rain across much of the UK.
It also says it will be quite windy, particularly towards the north and west. It will be mild, but strong winds will make it feel “rather cold”, according to the national forecaster.
Experts at the Met Office say: “High pressure then looks like building close to or over the UK through early December. This will result in drier but also probably generally slightly cooler conditions, and increase the risk of overnight frost and fog.”
A largely dry, settled theme is likely to be punctuated by brief unsettled and milder spells as areas of low pressure cross the UK, bringing spells of wind and rain for some.
The Met Office expects temperatures to be near average, but quite cold where there’s fog.
Met Office UK five day weather forecast
Wednesday, November 27 Nov – Sunday, December 1
Headline: Rain clearing in the south, but brighter elsewhere and windy in the southeast.
Heavy rain will clear slowly eastwards across central and southern England and Wales on Wednesday, with skies brightening to the west. Gales are possible in the southeast while fog and frost will clear elsewhere, bringing sunny spells and isolated showers.
A few showers will affect North Sea coasts of England and Scotland tonight but it will be dry elsewhere with clear periods and gentle winds. This will lead to a widespread frost with some freezing fog patches.
Frost and fog will slowly clear from most areas on Thursday, leaving a dry day with some sunshine. It will be chilly though and cloudier and windy in the west with some patchy rain.
The outlook for Friday to Sunday is for fine weather in the southeast on Friday, turning cold. It will be cloudier with some rain in the north and west. The weekend will generally be cloudier but milder, with rain at times and often windy.