The United Kingdom is preparing for a cold start to the new year, with recent weather forecasts pointing to the possibility of significant snowfall covering various regions including England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland in the initial week of January.
New weather projections from WXCharts indicate that substantial snow could begin as early as 6 am on January 5, affecting major cities and areas such as east London, Reading, Birmingham, Newcastle, Cheltenham, and Stoke-on-Trent. Additionally, parts of eastern Wales near Swansea are also expected to experience snowfall. Scotland, including Aberdeen and the Scottish Highlands, might see snow, extending down to Cornwall and reaching Northern Ireland, including Belfast.
The snowfall is anticipated to persist throughout the day, with reports suggesting that locations like Reading, Cheltenham, northern Scotland, Cornwall, Liverpool, and vast areas of Northern Ireland could still be affected by snow by 9 pm.
Meteorologist Jim Dale from British Weather Services mentioned that the ‘Troll from Trondheim,’ a polar vortex dislocation, is predicted to bring a significant snowstorm to the UK this week, following a similar pattern to a recent snow event that deposited up to 5 inches of snow across the country.
Contrary to this forecast, the Met Office has presented a detailed long-range outlook covering January 5 to January 14. It suggests that the UK will experience cold northerly winds in the initial week of January, leading to wintry showers, potentially turning to rain. There is uncertainty regarding a return to milder Atlantic conditions, with the possibility of further wintry conditions, especially in northern regions.
Historically, the coldest recorded night in January in Britain was -22.3°C in Altnaharra, located in northern Scotland, on January 8, 2010.
The Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings for snow and ice across various parts of England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland, with snow accumulation projections ranging from 2 inches on lower ground to 12 inches on higher routes and hills.
Regions affected by the weather warnings include Chester, Greater Manchester, London, Kent, the East Midlands, Southeast England, Southwest England, Wales, and the West Midlands.
