Met Office issues snow update as North East temperatures set to plunge next week

Catherine Addison-Swan
·2-min read
Temperatures are forecast to plummet to as low as -5°C in the North East next week
-Credit: (Image: Craig Connor/ChronicleLive)


Parts of the UK are likely to see snow next week with the November weather about to "change gears", according to the latest update from the Met Office.

The weekend will see colder, windier and wetter weather move in, forecasters said, bringing the potential for "frequent wintry showers" in the north, as well as along eastern and western coasts, meaning the North East is likely to be impacted. However, while conditions will turn increasingly wintry, the chance of any widespread or disruptive snowfall currently "remains low", the Met Office concluded.

"Snow is likely to fall to low levels, especially in the north," the latest UK forecast reads. "Many inland areas may be largely dry with lengthy sunny spells, especially where sheltered from the flow. However, there is a risk of some more organised areas of rain and hill snow running east across more southern parts."

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Temperatures are expected to drop across the country next week with overnight frosts, while strong winds will result in "significant wind chill", the Met Office said. While it's still too early to know to what degree the North East will be affected by snow, the early look ahead to next week shows daytime temperatures falling to single figures, with highs of just 5°C, which is expected to feel more like 0°C due to the wind chill.

North East temperatures overnight, meanwhile, are forecast to plummet as low as -5°C, bringing the risk of icy conditions. The first mention of snow for the region is on Sunday, November 17, with the forecast reading: "Further outbreaks of rain Sunday, possibly wintry to high ground and windy. Skies clearing overnight Sunday to bring colder conditions Monday, with frost likely."

While mentions of snow in the weather forecast always grab attention, it can be difficult to predict in advance for UK forecasters. The UK being surrounded by water makes snowfall on our island a rare occasion, as our sea often warms up the air slightly before it reaches our shores, turning it into rain or sleet rather than snow.

The Met Office explains: "As it's so cold high up in the atmosphere, most precipitation either starts off as snow or supercooled raindrops. As it falls to earth, it moves through warmer air most of the time and melts.

"Depending on the temperature of the air near the ground we either see rain or sleet or hail. However, the freezing level (usually the boundary at which precipitation will fall as snow rather than rain) doesn't just stay the same every day, or even within a day, sometimes it can change hour by hour, across the country, or even a few miles down the road."

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