Weather maps have revealed that parts of the Midlands could be covered by up to five inches of snow an hour next week. More snow could land just hours after the Met Office’s current two-day yellow snow warning ends.
According to WX Charts, areas to the west of the Birmingham, including the Black Country, South Staffordshire, could experience at least 13cm (5.1in) of snow every hour on Tuesday, January 7. A band of snow will arrive over the region at 12pm that day, covering parts of the West Midlands and north Wales.
Snow is expected to continue falling in the region by 6pm that day, as the cold weather moves southwards, with a dusting of 4.82cm (1.8in) at that time. By 12am on Wednesday, January 8, the band of snow is set to have cleared.
READ MORE: All the parts of England set for 6-inches of snow as temperatures plummet to -7C in January
Get breaking news on BirminghamLive WhatsApp, click the link to join
However households waking up in the region can expect to face freezing temperatures on Wednesday morning. Temperatures around Birmingham are set to be dip to -1C and by 12pm at midday, the mercury could plummet to -8C in the fringes of Shropshire and the border with Wales, according to wxcharts.com.
Maps from WX Charts show the temperature dipping into the minuses until Sunday, January 12. It comes as as two-day weather warning for snow and ice is in place across large parts of England and Wales, including the West Midlands.
Up to five inches of snow could fall in the West Midlands on Tuesday
(Image: WX Charts)
The Met Office has issued the warning for between 12pm on Saturday, January 4, and 11.59pm on Sunday, January 5. The forecaster warned of a small chance of power cuts, rural communities being cut off, travel delays on the road and rail and a small chance of injuries from slips and falls.
The Met Office said: “Outbreaks of rain spreading progressively north-eastwards later on Saturday and overnight into Sunday will likely be preceded by a spell of snow on its northern flank. Whilst there is some uncertainty, any snow in southern and eastern parts of England, especially at low levels, will probably be rather transient before turning back to rain.
“However, some significant accumulations of snow are possible across parts of Wales, the Midlands and northern England in particular, at least for a time, where 5 cm or more could accumulate fairly widely, with perhaps as much as 20-30 cm over high ground of mid and north Wales and potentially 30-40 cm over parts of the Pennines. This, accompanied by strengthening winds, may lead to drifting of lying snow.
“In addition, as milder air moves northwards, snow may turn to a spell of freezing rain for a time, again more especially across parts of Wales, the Midlands and northern England, adding to the risk of ice and leading to some treacherous conditions in places. A fairly rapid thaw of lying snow is possible later on Sunday, although exactly how far north the rapid thaw will reach remains uncertain at this stage.”
Temperatures could plummet to -8C in parts of the Midlands
(Image: WX Charts)