UK faces 72 hours of 'non stop' snow with 12 counties in England hammered
The UK faces 72 hours of "non stop" snow as we head through January and towards February, new maps and charts show. WX Charts maps and charts, which have been projected using modelling from the Met Desk, have laid bare what lies ahead for the country.
Snow will descend on the UK this Friday with flurries of up to 5cm per hour. The flurries begin from midnight on Friday, January 24, with snow depth charts showing 5cm per hour across January 25 in parts of the north of England.
Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales are also at risk, and even the south of England won't be spared. Indeed, accumulation charts and maps show the capital city and Greater London area could be hammered by a deluge of wintriness including snow flurries and heavy rain.
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A BBC forecast explains: "Despite the uncertainty of the previous week there are indications that the unsettled and windy conditions will begin to dominate more widely, allowing the west to south-westerly flow to move eastwards over the UK in late January and early February. Rain and increasing winds would become more likely, as stronger Atlantic weather systems move in. This would mean generally mild conditions.
"Some sub-seasonal signals are showing support for this trend. Nevertheless, Scotland may see cooler temperatures at times with wintry precipitation not ruled out. The latter could occur either during the transition period to milder conditions or behind some intense lows as they cross the UK."
Full list of areas affected:
England
Lancashire
Yorkshire
Cumberland
Northern Ireland
Belfast
Antrim
Scotland
Perthshire
North East
Highland and Moray
Wales
Clywd
Gwynedd
Powys
Gwent
The Met Office warns: "A major change in our weather starts on Thursday, as a front bringing heavy rain moves eastwards through the day. North Wales and Northwest England are expected to see the highest accumulations where 20-30mm could fall over the hills, some hill snow is possible over the Scottish mountains."