Met Office snow update as temperature set to drop with frost and 'wintry showers' possible

The Met Office has warned that parts of the UK are likely to see snow next week as November weather is set to "change gears". Forecasters predict colder, windier and wetter weather over the weekend, bringing the potential for "frequent wintry showers" in the north, as well as along eastern and western coasts.

This means the North East could be affected. However, while conditions will become increasingly wintry, the chance of any widespread or disruptive snowfall currently "remains low", according to the Met Office.

The latest UK forecast reads: "Snow is likely to fall to low levels, especially in the north," It also suggests that many inland areas may stay largely dry with lengthy sunny spells, particularly where sheltered from the flow. But there's a risk of more organised areas of rain and hill snow running east across more southern parts.

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Temperatures are expected to drop nationwide next week with overnight frosts, while strong winds will result in "significant wind chill". While it's still too early to know exactly how much 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.

Overnight temperatures in the North East are predicted to take a sharp dive down to -5°C, hiking the risk of icy conditions. Residents should expect their first flurry of snow for the season this coming Sunday, November 17, with the weather forecast suggesting: "Further outbreaks of rain Sunday, possibly wintry to high ground and windy. Skies clearing overnight Sunday to bring colder conditions Monday, with frost likely.", reports Chronicle Live.

While the prospect of snow tends to draw public interest, it proves a tricky phenomenon for UK forecasters to predict with precision. Given that the UK is an island nation, surrounded by seas which usually warm the air to some extent before it arrives on land, snowfall becomes less common, often transitioning into rain or sleet.

The matter is further complicated by varying atmospheric temperatures, as explained by the Met Office: "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."

Whether we encounter rain, sleet, or hail is determined largely by the temperature of the air near the ground level.

Furthermore, the freezing level – the altitude at which precipitation typically presents as snow rather than rain – is not constant. It can alter drastically day-to-day, hour-to-hour, and even within short geographical spans, sometimes varying substantially over just a few miles.

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