Large swathes of England and Scotland are preparing for significant snowfall as a severe cold front, with temperatures plummeting to -11°C, is set to strike. According to maps and charts from WX Charts, which utilize Met Desk data, freezing conditions will take hold starting January 3, bringing the risk of heavy snow and icy weather across northern England and the entirety of Scotland.
Forecasts indicate that northern England could receive up to six inches of snow, with rainfall rates reaching 10mm per hour according to the GFS model. Counties expected to be most affected include Aberdeenshire, Banffshire, Caithness, Inverness-shire, Moray, Nairnshire, Ross and Cromarty, Sutherland, and Angus.
Additional Scottish areas at risk of snowfall include Clackmannanshire, Fife, Kincardineshire, Kinross-shire, Perthshire, Stirlingshire, East Lothian, Midlothian, West Lothian, Argyll and Bute, Dunbartonshire, Renfrewshire, Ayrshire, Berwickshire, Dumfriesshire, Kirkcudbrightshire, Lanarkshire, Peeblesshire, Roxburghshire, Selkirkshire, Wigtownshire, Orkney, and Shetland.
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In England, counties such as Yorkshire, Cumbria, Durham, Northumberland, and Cheshire are also likely to experience snow flurries during this period.
The BBC Weather forecast for the week leading up to Christmas highlights the progression of weather systems: “Western areas will experience bright spells with isolated showers, while other regions face cloud and intermittent rain that spreads southward. Overnight, heavy rain will cover much of the UK, though northern Scotland will remain mostly dry.”
It continues: “Northern Ireland and northern Scotland will see lingering rain that should ease by evening. Tuesday is expected to be cloudy and murky, with sporadic rain but some wintry sunshine in the northwest. Christmas Eve should bring brighter skies and mostly dry conditions in the northwest, while other areas remain dull and breezy.”
Finally, Christmas Day is forecasted to be dry but colder, with persistent breezes especially in southern regions.
Residents across these counties are advised to prepare for colder temperatures and potential travel disruptions due to accumulating snow and icy conditions.