Weather experts at the Met Office have said severe cold weather is likely after the recent spell of warmer conditions. Now, a ‘Beast from the East’ weather event could heavily impact some areas across the UK
It’s due to a sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) being likely in a few days’ time, weather experts have said. The same weather event caused the deadly Beast from the East back in March 2018 and a similar weather phenomenon could be triggered this month, weather experts have said.
The Met Office reported the forecast for this month which indicates a strong possibility of a SSW by mid-March. A SSW caused the Beast from the East seven years ago, which saw 17 people lose their lives as heavy snow, ice and strong winds hit the country.
The Met Office said: “This phenomenon is characterised by a reversal of winds, the stratosphere polar vortex, high up in the stratosphere. These winds are currently weakening rapidly.” It added: “An SSW can result in a large area of blocking high pressure over northern Europe, and the UK, which can lead to a period of cold, dry weather.
“However, this is not always the case, and it’s important to note that not all SSW events are followed by severe weather. More details on the intensity of surface weather effects from this event will be available in our weather forecasts.”
Professor Adam Scaife, Head of Long-Range Forecasting at the Met Office, said: “There is now over 80 per cent chance of a SSW occurring by the middle of the month, this could lead to some impacts on weather in the UK towards the end of March. What those impacts might be will become clearer nearer the time.”
This possible cold snap will mark a big change after warmer temperatures over the last week. Temperatures reached almost 20C in parts of the country as the UK recorded the warmest day so far for 2025.
But this is likely to change, experts said. The Met Office explained that we will begin to see a “spell of rain will move south across the country” from Monday, with “ a few wintry showers” in the north and northeast.
The Met Office added: “By Tuesday, we’ll start to see temperatures drop to below average across the UK. Rural spots in Scotland could see -4C on Tuesday night, with daytime maximum temperatures typically between 5-8°C.”
The Mirror reported that deputy chief meteorologist at the Met Office, Chris Bulmer said: “A frontal zone will move south across the UK during Sunday night and Monday with much colder air following from the north. With these cold northeasterly winds, we are likely to see some wintry showers across the north and the east of the UK next week, but any accumulations of snow are likely to be largely restricted to hills. We’ll also see a return to overnight frosts in many areas.
“While there is uncertainty in the extent of rain and wintry showers through the middle of next week, there is higher confidence that below average temperatures will continue through the week, bringing a very different feel to the mild weather over the weekend.“