Brits could be forgiven for thinking it’s time to ditch a layer of their winter woollies. But new weather maps show we should prepare to wrap up for a wall of snow to cover many parts of the UK – from Norfolk to the tip of Scotland and stretching far out into the Atlantic Ocean.
The maps from weather monitoring system WX Charts have turned dark purple – a clear indication of snow – on Monday, February 12. Other maps show the depth of the snow as being as much as 18cm in one part of Scotland.
The purple pillar of snow stretches around 537 miles, which is roughly the length of a 13 hour drive.
And now one weather expert has confirmed that we could be plunged back into deep winter soon as “Polar air sweeps in.” The plummeting temperatures are tipped to happen by the end of next week, with some areas set to see snow flurries by this Friday, February 2.
Jim Dale, a senior meteorologist for British Weather Services, said: “We could well be heading back to winter proper a week and more from today as Polar air sweeps in to remind us of what season we are really in, following yesterday’s all time UK maximum temperature for January.”
The unlikely scenario happened on Sunday in Kinlochewe where thermometers reached 19.6C – beating off previous landmark readings of 18.3C in Inchmarlo and Aboyne in 2003 and Aber in 1958 and 1971.
But Netweather forecasters have issued some guidance on when Britain will be plunged back into the depths of winter once more.
He said: “So, are there any signs of colder weather returning in February? There are hints from recent teleconnection and longer-range model output for a pattern change towards mid-February that could introduce colder and more wintry weather.
“When colder conditions will arrive and where they will come from is too early to say for now, but perhaps sometime through the second week of February, though perhaps not until mid-month.
“Despite the recent mild weather, there’s plenty of time for winter to bite back, even in March or April, though after February, any snow that settles tends not to hang around unless the air mass is unusually cold.”
By 6am on Tuesday, February 6, this icy blast will start to stretch more southerly, with lows of -1C in Norfolk with the capital falling to below freezing before 6pm.
The Met Office long-range forecast predicts February will be a real mixed bag of conditions – made up of dry weather, wet and windy conditions and snowy periods.
From February 2 to 11 it says: “Early February will continue to be changeable, with spells of wet and windy weather for many parts of the UK.
“The northwest is likely to see the heaviest and most frequent or most persistent rain, while the southeast will tend to be drier overall.”
