New snow maps show a 700-mile blizzard is set to pump out several centimetres of snow over the UK in a massive one-day blitz next week.
Extreme weather over the last few weeks has included vicious winds and heavy rain from storms Eowyn and Herminia, which pelted millions of Brits.
The limited respite which saw calmer weather and even some sunshine in recent days could be short-lived with grim conditions expected in the coming days.
The latest maps from WXCharts show a 500-mile-wide weather system could paint nearly the entire country with snow in just a few hours next week. The maps, which use data from MetDesk, suggest snow could be falling at a rate of almost 4cm per hour in some regions. It comes as the Met Office warns of a potential “much colder conditions” in early February.
Snow depth maps for midnight next Saturday show as much as 11cm of snow settled on the ground in the north-west of England. North Wales could see up to 10cm, with 5cm to 6cm coming in northern parts of England, Northern Ireland and the Midlands. Some isolated spots in the Scottish Highlands could see 11cm.
The Met Office’s forecast for February 6 to 15 warns that “much colder” conditions could be on the cards.
It states: “It is likely to be rather more settled across the UK in this period, especially at first. High pressure will sit close to, or over the UK, and will most likely drift away slowly eastwards with time. Consequently, southern and eastern areas are likely to see the driest conditions, with lightest winds, which could lead to overnight frost and fog with temperatures a little below normal.
“Further north and west, there is a risk of incursions of Atlantic air and fontal systems at times, which would bring some rain here, but with milder temperatures. There is a very low chance that if the high orientates in such a way that a more easterly (rather than southerly/southeasterly) flow develops, a spell of much colder conditions could develop across the UK.”
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