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The Met Office has delivered its verdict on a possible Beast from the East this month as weather maps show a potential 600-mile band of snow could sweep the UK by late January
The Met Office has delivered its assessment on whether a potential “Beast from the East” could strike the UK this month, as weather charts reveal temperatures are set to plummet dramatically over the coming week. The forecasting body issued multiple warnings earlier this month when a harsh freeze gripped the nation, blanketing hundreds of miles with ice and snow.
The bitter conditions triggered yellow, amber and even an extremely rare red weather warning, cautioning that the cold and snowfall could present a “danger to life” and potentially isolate communities as temperatures in the most severely affected regions dropped well into negative figures.
Yet some of the most extreme conditions may still lie ahead, with meteorological charts showing a nationwide snow bombardment and temperatures dropping as low as -12C before the month concludes.
Weather charts indicate that a severe chill is poised to grip the country by month’s end, with early indicators of another, potentially more brutal cold snap emerging around January 28. The charts, sourced from WXCharts, reveal a massive blanket spanning more than 600 miles stretching the entire length of Britain by January 30.
Initial signs of that snowfall appear likely to materialise by January 27, with precipitation first striking Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland in the early hours around 6am. Over the next 12 hours, intensifying snowfall – reaching peak rates of up to 0.4 inches (more than a centimetre) per hour – is forecast to blanket almost the entire nation white, reports the Mirror.
By 6pm, the snow band is predicted to extend from Colchester in the south right up to just beneath Inverness in Scotland. Following a brief respite lasting one day, the snowfall will resume on January 29, when it’s set to cover the whole country from top to bottom – spanning more than 600 miles – with accumulations reaching depths of up to two inches.
Come 6am on Friday, January 30, only London and England’s easternmost coastline, Devon’s far western shores, and select areas of southern Wales are expected to escape the snow. Simultaneously, the mercury will drop to brutal lows, with charts indicating temperatures between -1C and -6C across England, and similar -5C readings in Wales.
North of the border, temperatures could nosedive to a bone-chilling -12C in exposed Inverness during the early hours between midnight and 6am, ensuring any snowfall remains firmly settled. The Met Office stated in its most recent long-range outlook, covering the identical timeframe as WXCharts’ projections (January 20 to 29), that Britain would experience “some influence from the east” which might bring about colder conditions “later in the period”.
The forecasting body noted this shift “increases the chance of snow across the country”. The weather experts explained: “Throughout this period, the UK will see a battle between Atlantic weather systems attempting to arrive from the west while high pressure and colder conditions attempt to exert some influence from the east.
“Initially, milder Atlantic air is expected to dominate. This should maintain often cloudy, changeable conditions with showers or longer spells of rain for most.
“The wettest weather in western parts of the country, drier in the east. Temperatures overall likely to be around average with some night frosts in clearer areas.
“Later in the period, there is an increased chance that conditions will turn colder. This aspect of the forecast is still somewhat uncertain but the potential transition to colder weather also increases the chance of snow across parts of the country.”
Nevertheless, Met Office spokesman Grahame stated that the “immediate future” would witness temperatures staying close to average, noting that the prediction of chilly conditions could easily alter before the January charts indicate heavy widespread snowfall. He commented: “In the immediate future colder weather isn’t expected to return for the UK.
“Temperatures for most of next week should remain near average. While there’s still a slight possibility that winds from the east could bring a chill during the final week of January, that is still a long time away giving time for the forecast to change.
“For now, it’s just as probable that milder southern air will persist, keeping the cold at bay.”
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