More snow and ice could batter Britain within days: Met Office warns Arctic blast from Greenland could send temperatures in the UK tumbling as deep freeze grips Europe
- A jet stream will push colder weather from near Greenland towards the north
- This could then lead to ‘disruptive snow in places’ by the start of next week
Britain could be hit by snow and ice in the coming days as temperatures plummet below the average for March.
The Met Office said a ‘highly amplified’ jet stream will push colder weather from near Greenland towards the north of the UK by the weekend.
Meteorologists say that could then lead to ‘disruptive snow in places’ by the start of next week.
However, the disruption is not expected to be as severe as the conditions seen in 2018 when Britain was hit by the ‘Beast from the East’.
It comes as a deep freeze has gripped Europe in recent days, with snow even blanketing some of the continent’s most popular summer holiday destinations.
A man and a woman make their way through the snow on January 18, 2023 in Carrbridge
A Met Office graphic shows how temperatures are expected to plummet in the coming days
Explaining next week’s forecast, Aidan McGivern, from the Met Office, said: ‘During the weekend, low pressure over the Mid-North Atlantic will start to feed energy northwards and allow high pressure over the UK to migrate towards Greenland.
‘At the same time, there’s a highly amplified, very perturbed jet stream.
‘It loops around this low (pressure) and then pushes all the way back to the north of the high pressure that’s developing over Greenland, allowing this northerly feed that’s allowing the colder weather to push into the north of the UK by the end of Saturday.’
Mr McGivern added that the cold air would most likely be pushed into the north and east areas of Britain, though the pattern could change as the week progresses.
‘As that happens the low pressure from the south and the west is likely to push in and mix with the cold at the north and east, leading to some disruptive snow in places by the start of next week,’ he said.
The Met Office’s long-range forecast for the rest of the month also warns of wintry showers and heavy snow.
However, any disruption in the coming days is not expected to be on the scale of the snowstorm dubbed the Beast from the East.
Mark Sidaway, deputy chief meteorologist with the Met Office, told Sky News: ‘Although we have had a sudden stratospheric warming event and other drivers pointing towards colder conditions in March, at this stage there is a low probability of having widely disruptive winter weather like that of five years ago in March 2018.’
Today, experts expect the skies to remain cloudy, with some scattered light showers, particularly in eastern and central areas of England and southeast Scotland but possibly elsewhere too.
Some parts of north-western Scotland and south-east England may experience occasional sunny spells.
It comes as areas of the continent fames for its searing temperatures, including the French island of Corsica, have been blanketed with snow this week as Storm Juliette sweeps across the Mediterranean.
Snow covers the Tibidabo amusement park in Barcelona, Spain on Monday
A snowplough sweeps the road along the Vizzavona pass, as heavy snow covers the mountains on the French Mediterranean island of Corsica in Vizzavona on Tuesday
Much of the island’s rocky terrain sitting above 800m in altitude was battered by a blizzard which had hours earlier dumped more than a dozen inches of snow on the Spanish holiday destination of Mallorca.
Parts of the French island under 800m in altitude have instead been lashed with heavy rain, while winds as high as 55mph punished the coastline.
Images from the town of Vizzavona – which sits roughly 1km above sea level – saw snowploughs deployed to clear away several inches of snowfall from the roads as villagers, wrapped in heavy winter clothing, staggered through the blizzard.
One man was seen struggling across a field in seemingly knee-deep snow while mothers carried their children on their backs.
Though residents of Corsica are battling the blizzards and heavy rain uncharacteristic of the Mediterranean, Juliette’s impact on Mallorca was far worse with 20 inches of snow shutting roads and cutting power in dozens of towns.
The Spanish holiday island was covered with snow Monday and Tuesday and officials issued a rare red alert warning for the second day in a row as a further 15 inches is expected to fall in the next 24 hours.
Storm Juliette first hit Mallorca, known for its beautiful sandy beaches and near year-round excellent weather, on Sunday and has since brought blizzards and cold weather to the Balearic island.
Spain’s meteorological agency AEMET warned the coastal regions in northern Mallorca will be hit with 55mph winds and 26ft waves.
The snow storm has also led to power cuts in dozens of towns including Valldemossa, Alaró, Vilafranca and Port d’Alcúdia.
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