A burst of snow is set to hit the nation, after a month of colder temperatures. Met Office experts suggest rain on Monday will transition to sleet and snow on Tuesday, as they issued their latest five-day forecast this morning, Saturday, November 30.
“Rain for some on Monday, then turning colder with wintry showers in the north,” its current predictions read. “A frosty start on Tuesday with rain, sleet and snow later. Rain clearing through on Wednesday.”
Speaking yesterday, Met Office Chief Meteorologist Matthew Lehnert also echoed these sentiments, as Scotland and northern England were deemed likely spots for patches of snow. He said: “By Monday, it will turn colder again with cloud and rain clearing south followed by showers which will fall as snow to lower levels in the far north.” While temperatures will be close to 0°C across the whole country, this may plummet to -5°C in central Scotland on Tuesday morning, according to the Mirror.
The predictions come as Brits have already faced blisteringly cold conditions in recent weeks, with snow reaching several parts of Scotland, Wales and England. Storm Bert, deemed one of the ‘worst’ storms of the year, was a primary culprit for this, battering the nation with 80mph winds in some regions.
An estimated 107 properties were flooded as a result of the storm, while roads and transport infrastructure also faced numerous disruptions. Although much of the UK is expected to ‘remain unsettled’ this week, the Met Office has said that conditions will most likely calm down in the following weeks.
Its Friday forecast explained: “Much of next week looks likely to remain unsettled, especially for northern and western parts of the UK.
“However, there are some signals on the horizon that the weather for the following week could once again become more settled.” To check if your local area is impacted by ‘severe weather’, you can use the Government’s search tool.
By entering a postcode, you will be directed to your local council’s website, where more detailed weather alerts may be accessible. For more information, head to Gov.uk.
What is the Met Office weather forecast for December?
The longer term outlook is, of course, hard to predict accurately. But meteorologists are able to make predictions of general patterns.
The forecast on the Met Office website for December 4 to December 13 states: “A rather changeable start to this period, with frontal systems moving east across the UK and bringing spells of rain and strong winds for many areas, though interspersed with quieter interludes. Overall, rain is most likely across the north and west, while southeast parts may be relatively drier, though not completely dry.
“Moving into the second week of December, there are signs of more settled weather developing more widely, especially across the south and southwest of the UK. This may well bring a spell of mainly dry conditions in these areas, probably with patchy overnight frost and fog.
“Any outbreaks of rain and wind in this period are more likely to affect the north. Temperatures will vary around average for December, with some milder and some colder days.”
Its forecast for December 14 to December 28 states: “Initially, high pressure is likely to be dominant, especially across the south, with relatively settled conditions likely overall. Frontal systems may still affect north and northwest UK at times, although probably fairly weak.
“Moving into the second half of December, a period of more unsettled conditions appears likely for a time, bringing a greater prevalence of rain and showers to most areas but especially the northwest. Some of the showers could be wintry, especially on high ground. Later in the month, there are signals that higher pressure may become re-established, with more settled conditions likely to develop, particularly across the south.
“Temperatures are likely to be around average overall, with colder interludes bringing frost and fog.”