Yahoo News Met Office warns of Arctic blast as icy winds set for UK
Temperatures will drop next week as forecasters predict a return of the winds that brought in the savage Beast from the East.
But the Met Office has stressed the same winds, and a weaker jet stream following a warm December, doesn’t necessarily mean a rerun of last February’s severe coldspell.
On Wednesday colder air will move across the UK followed by even colder air arriving from the Arctic on Thursday, and the icy weather will last into next week.
Chief meteorologist at the Met Office, Dan Suri, said: “From Thursday colder arctic air will have spread across the country, with temperatures struggling to reach above 5 or 6 Celsius for most of us.
“This is close to the average January temperature for the UK – but since it has been quite a mild winter so far, many will notice the difference by the end of the week. It’s going to feel very cold overnight with temperatures widely dipping close to or below freezing.”
Mr Suri added: “The colder weather will bring a range of winter hazards, with a widespread frost and icy stretches expected from Wednesday night and continuing into the weekend.
“Not a lot of snow is expected during this period, though we will see snow showers in some areas during Wednesday night and Thursday.
“Most of the snow showers will be over the hills and mountains, although snow could fall to lower levels in the north, and also some eastern parts of the country during Thursday.”
Both the Met Office, and Public Health England, have issued warnings to more vulnerable groups to be prepared for the icy blast.
Dr Emer O’Connell of PHE said: “Experience shows us that every winter thousands of people are seriously affected and even die from illnesses linked to the cold.
“Protecting yourself from the cold may seem like common sense but many people don’t manage to keep themselves warm enough.”
Mr Suri said next week winds will blow predominantly from northerly and easterly directions but stressed this does not mean we are due to see ‘Beast from the East MK II’.
He added: “Yes, it is getting colder, but it is too early to provide detailed forecasts on the potential severity of the weather or snow amounts at this stage.
“We advise the public to keep in touch with Met Office forecasts and warnings over the next few days and weeks so you can be prepared for the cold weather.”
