A 550-mile wall of snow and ice around the UK is set to start in Scotland next week.
According to new weather maps, temperatures in some part of the country could drop to as low as -4C by the middle of December.
Graphics from WX Charts forecast shows a mammoth wall of snow and ice, stretching from Durness in the Highlands right down to Grimsby in Lincolnshire on Friday, December 13.
The maps also predicts eastern shores of the UK will likely bear the brunt of the chill – with areas including Aberdeen, Inverness, Newcastle, Skegness and Grimsby, hit by the Polar blast at 6pm.
Around 5cm of snow in expected and temperatures in the Highlands will plummet to -4C. The mercury will dip below freezing with -2C reported in central Scotland and 0C in the south of Scotland.
The Polar blast will be accompanied by gusts of up to 59mph in England and Wales, with slightly weaker winds in Scotland as a mass of extremely cold air hovers over much of the British Isles.
Looking ahead at the Met Office’s long-range forecast between December 9 and December 18, there is no mention snow, but forecasters highlight the “rather cold weather” set to blast the country this time.
It reads: “High pressure looks like largely dominating the UK’s weather at first, bringing plenty of dry but rather cold weather, though a showery easterly or northeasterly flow may affect the south. Overnight frosts along with morning fog patches are probable for some regions. By the middle of next week, conditions may turn a little more unsettled for a while, with a chance of some rain moving southeast.”
Experts also warned of an “increased chance” of wet and windy weather, most likely in the north, while southern parts of the UK are likely to enjoy “drier” and “more settled”. It adds: “Temperatures varying around average with both some colder and milder spells likely through this period.”
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