UK weather: Strong winds forecast by Met Office
The Met Office has said there are “indications” of a cold snap just days before Christmas, bringing the “potential for wintry showers.” It is the first time the forecaster has issued a specific forecast, with more details likely to emerge.
Weather maps from WXCHARTS have for more than a week showed a colder Arctic snap engulfing much of Britain by late next week. And now the forecaster has painted a picture of what this will look like for all regions.
In a statement, issued today, it said: “As we head towards the end of next week and the festive period there is, as always, more uncertainty in the forecast.
“However, there are indications that by the end of next week we could see high pressure moving further south and west away from the UK, allowing northwesterly winds to develop at times.
“This would allow some short periods where colder air affects the UK, with the potential for wintry showers in northern areas. At this stage there is very little sign of any widespread or severe cold and wintry weather.”
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Maps centre on December 23 as the period when the first wider spread snowfall will hit, with a light dusting hitting as far south as Manchester, after at first engulfing much of Scotland.
More southerly regions will see this as rain, as their thermometers range slightly higher. On Christmas Day itself, a pillar of snow is set to hover across northern parts of England, and Scotland by around midday, according to new maps.
Senior meteorologist Jim Dale, from British Weather Services, also said the mercury will ‘ebb and flow’ in the coming week, and this pattern looks to extend over Christmas week.
At the moment, the only places for some Christmas Day snowfall are parts of Scotland and the Highlands. But much of the country will see temperatures dip thanks to the low pressure.
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Looking from December 19 to 28, the Met Office long range forecast says in full: “Initially mild, wet and windy in southern areas before clearing away leaving conditions unsettled with showers of rain across western coasts and some hill snow affecting north-western areas, clearer to the east.
“Late in the week potential for a mild spell in the south as rain moves in with some small amounts of hill snow in the north before a period of more north or north-westerly winds with showers across coasts and turning wintry over hills.
“But clearer in the south, this likely recurring through the period with milder and wetter westerly periods interspersed with a risk of with colder north-westerly or northerly conditions and showers, some wintry over hills, for a time. However, at this stage there is little sign of any widespread or severe cold and wintry weather.”
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