The UK faces a 12-hour snow storm this week bringing with it 5cm per hour. The UK is being warned to prepare for an Arctic blitz next weekend – as January is crowned by the final weekend of the month on January 25 and January 26.
WX Charts maps and charts, which are created using Met Desk modelling, show a big downturn in conditions is likely as we head into the final weekend of the first month of the year in the wake of Christmas, with flurries likely on Saturday.
Regions at risk include the West Midlands, north-east, and north-west, as well as parts of Scotland at midnight. Major towns and cities in these regions, namely Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Inverness, could be struck.
READ MORE All the parts of England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland facing 13-inch snow
Snowfall will hit from 6am, with everywhere from Hampshire in the south of England to Inverness in the north of Scotland facing a dusting. As temperatures languish well below zero, with -1C lows in Scotland, depths show snow could reach 8cm at times.
In the short term, a BBC forecast for Saturday (January 18) explains: “Today, much of the UK will be cloudy and chillier but generally dry. South-west England, Wales, north-east England and northern Scotland will have the best chance of wintry sunshine.
“Tonight will be dry. Much of England will be cloudy and colder with hill fog in places. Northern Scotland will have clear skies. Elsewhere, there will be a mixture of patchy cloud and clear spells.” The Sunday (January 19) outlook adds: “Tomorrow, the south will be cloudy and cold, but Wales and western England will see bright breaks. Further north, dry and bright in the east, but cloud and patchy rain developing in the west.”
And the outlook for Monday to Wednesday adds: “Monday will be cloudy for most with a few spells of rain. In north-western Scotland, the rain will more likely and will fall heavier. On Tuesday, similar conditions for western Scotland, Northern Ireland and the northwest of England but elsewhere cloud will break at times revealing some sunshine. Cloudy periods for many and some showers in the north on Wednesday.”