The UK is facing an increased risk of an early snowstorm as soon as this month due to a weakening Polar Vortex, according to weather experts at the Met Office.
The Polar Vortex is the name given to the cluster of powerful air streams that lock the coldest air and weather around the North Pole. However, Stratospheric Warming (SSW), possibly linked to the ongoing El Niño phenomenon affecting global conditions, could disrupt this air and push it towards the UK.
Forecasters Warn of Cold Snap
If this happens, one possibility is that it brings a cold snap to the country, potentially as soon as this November, increasing the risk of freezing conditions, frost, fog and snow.
Met Office presenter and meteorologist Aidan McGivern said: “We know that El Niños increase the chances, through this chain of events, of sudden stratospheric warmings happening, and we know sudden stratospheric warmings increase the chance of colder weather for the UK. So we’ve got this chain of events that we can start to flag well in advance.”
Stratospheric Warming Underway
Met Office forecaster Marco Petagna added: “At the moment, we’ve got a warming taking place in the stratosphere. The polar vortex in the stratosphere is starting to weaken.”
Mr Petagna says that if winds change direction, it would become a ‘major sudden stratospheric warming’ event and potentially the earliest on record.
The meteorologist added: “For the UK, it does increase the chance of cold weather, normally a few weeks down the line, so sort of deeper into November is when we’re more likely to see an influence if it does happen.
“It’s important to emphasise that there was a major warming event last November, and on that occasion it didn’t directly lead to much cold weather in the UK. It doesn’t always happen, it just increases the chance of it occurring.”
Weather Warnings Issued
Today, the Met Office has issued a clutch of weather warnings set to take effect from midnight on Sunday until 10am, particularly in the south west, London and the midlands.
The forecaster warned: “Fog, dense in places, may lead to some travel disruption on Saturday night and Sunday morning.”
