Met Office weather maps show temperatures are set to plunge for the start of the New Year in Wales, with one area dropping to a very chilly -5 by Friday. After a wet and windy start to 2025 the heavy rain on New Year’s Day will move southwards and severe gales southwest bringing colder weather in their place.
Forecasters say it will gradually become less windy but colder in the afternoon on New Year’s Day with maximum temperatures of 11 °C before temperatures fall notably with some sharp overnight frosts. There may be scattered wintry showers over hills in some places.
Areas that will reach down to -2 by 6am on Thursday January 2 include Builth Wells and Llandovery. Those areas and others parts of mid and north Wales will plummet to -4C by 9pm that evening, Met Office weather maps show. ” Join our WhatsApp news community here for the latest breaking news. You will receive updates from us daily.
Drier and colder by 6am on Thursday morning
(Image: Met Office)
Carmarthen will hit -3 and Cardiff -1 by Thursday evening. The chill then widens to more areas on Friday with temperatures of -3 across Wales, including Cardiff and Swansea and some areas dropping to -5.
Very chilly by Thursday evening with temperatures of -4 forecast across Wales
(Image: Met Office)
Met Office forecasts show Monmouth as the coldest place at -5C at 9am on Friday January 3. Builth Wells and Carmarthen will be -4 at that time and Swansea -3.
A very cold start to Friday with -5C the lowest temperature forecast in one area
(Image: Met Office)
By Thursday it is likely that the whole of the UK will experience a change to colder conditions with this persisting into the weekend. Wintry showers are expected to affect the far north and east at times but away from these sunshine will be much more widespread than in recent days. Overnight temperatures will widely fall below freezing, perhaps reaching minus double digits in areas of Scotland already covered in snow.
Met Office weather map shows temperatures across Wales for 9am on Friday January 3
(Image: Met Office)
Moving into the weekend it will start to rise above freezing across Wales. This continues into the start of next week, but with temperatures falling to below freezing and down to -1 and -2 in some areas by nightfall.
Met Office weather map shows temperatures across Wales for the start of the weekend on Saturday January 4
(Image: Met Office)
The long range forecast for the whole of the UK for the start of next week is a mixed picture. Met Office forecasters say there will be a mix of snow, sleet and rain showers in the north before milder air may make inroads from the south. Most or all of the UK is likely to remains colder air.
Overall, temperatures are more likely to be below normal than above, but day to day and regional variations are likely. Slowly chasnging weather patterns look most likely mid-month.