A fresh Arctic blast is set to sweep across Scotland and the UK next week, with forecasters warning that a 200-mile band of snow could bring disruptive conditions to large areas.
The prospect of further wintry weather comes as the UK endures a spell of bitter cold, with temperatures falling to -6.4C in parts of Cumbria and Brecon earlier this week. While Sunday (November 15) is expected to bring a brief interlude of milder Atlantic air and rain, meteorologists say colder Arctic conditions will quickly return.
Snow band forecast to stretch across the UK
Weather models indicate that a northward-moving band of rain will collide with the colder air late on Monday, raising the prospect of snowfall across a broad swathe of the country, The Mirror writes.
Met Office maps show snow stretching across northern Wales and England from around midnight into the early hours of Tuesday before tracking north-eastwards overnight.
By around 3am, the snow band is forecast to extend from southern Scotland, south of Glasgow, through northern England and as far south as Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire. Some areas could see more than 5cm of snowfall, while higher ground in central Scotland may receive up to 15cm.
Forecasters warn of snow showers and cold air
BBC weather forecaster Helen Willetts says: "We can see that northerly wind coming back in later in the day pushing those weather fronts out of the way by the start of Monday and we are back into that sparkling Arctic air."
"So even at lower levels in the north we could see some snow showers and they will certainly be gathering in force across the northern part of Scotland."
"Tuesday looks quite an interesting day as we've got this next weather system running to the south of the UK, as it comes and bumps into the cold air we could have a spell of snow."
"It is a long way off at the moment but we will firm up, don't take this as read because it could be a little bit further north or south but wherever that weather front grinds to a halt we could see a spell of snow primarily on the hills but not necessarily exclusively - we could see something at lower levels as well."
And she adds: "We are staying in the colder air for much of next week". While a forecast from the Met Office states: "Into next week, unsettled and cold conditions remain with rain, sleet and (mainly hill) snow key features."
Areas facing wall of snow on Tuesday
Its outlook for Monday to Wednesday reads: "Colder, but sunnier on Monday. Wintry showers in the far north, with rain, and hill snow moving north across the UK into Tuesday. Brighter, but colder again for most midweek."
Areas of Scotland facing snow include Dumfries and Galloway, Scottish Borders, South Ayrshire, East Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, North Lanarkshire, Perth and Kinross, Aberdeenshire, Moray, Highland, and Argyll and Bute.
In Wales, the affected areas are Gwynedd, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Wrexham, and Powys. In England, the list includes Merseyside, Cheshire, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Lancashire, Cumbria, Durham, Newcastle, and Northumberland.
