UK weather: Snow fall expected as temperature set to plunge

Tuesday, March 29, 2022

The United Kingdom (UK) could see snowfall this week, with temperatures set to drop dramatically over the coming days, forecasters have said. After enjoying warmer weather and experiencing the hottest day of the year so far in March, the country will become colder and cloudier from Monday.

The daytime will see temperatures halve from the highs of 20 degree C reached last week, and they are expected to drop below freezing overnight, the Met Office said.

A cold air mass is expected to arrive on Monday evening and will push into the north of the UK before slowly sinking southwards, bringing cooler, more unsettled weather. The snow is expected to fall in Scotland and the north of England from Wednesday, areas that will see the most of the wintry weather, with temperatures of 8C expected.

The frosty conditions will hit parts of central England and northern Wales – regions that are expected to be the worst affected – overnight into Thursday and Friday.

Temperatures will fall considerably lower than freezing, towards -4C, with up to four inches of snow expected to settle across these areas. The showers will also be possible for much of the country on Friday before high pressure from the west brings wintry winds, more frequently in the north and east.

The Met Office’s chief meteorologist, Paul Gundersen, said that although the United Kingdom has had a good deal of fine and settled March weather in recent days, a change is on the way from the middle of next week, with colder air spreading down from the north and the increasing likelihood of rain for most areas. On the hills in the north, there’s a chance of this falling as snow, although we’ll gain more certainty on that in the coming days. With the influence of some unsettled weather, we’ll be seeing a marked drop in temperatures for most, with colder air arriving from the north. This will see maximum temperatures drop into single figures for many areas, and below freezing overnight.

Monday will see bright and sunny spells before the weather turns colder on Tuesday, which will be cloudier for most, with outbreaks of showers and a maximum temperature of 11C.

Wintry showers will begin to approach on Wednesday evening, and are expected fall on Thursday and Friday, with frost also building up overnight.

The thick clouds are expected to spread into Devon on Monday night, which will bring showery outbreaks of rain – however, it will remain frost-free. Tuesday will see a rather cloudy day and spells of rain, with maximum temperatures of 13C, before the weather turns colder and windy on Thursday and Friday.

Midlands

The frost will begin to build up on Monday night with low cloud, fog and outbreaks of rain – which could turn to snow over high ground – expected on Tuesday, with maximum temperatures of 11C. The outbreaks of rain and hill snow will move south on Wednesday, and will be followed by sunny spells and wintry showers on Thursday and Friday.

Wales

There will be an early mist on Tuesday morning before sunny spells break through, and temperatures of up to 14C, with the possibility of showers in the south of the country. The clouds and rain from the north will arrive on Wednesday and are expected to turn wintry over higher ground from Wednesday.

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