The UK is bracing for a dramatic shift in weather as a wall of rain is set to turn into snow, impacting England, Scotland, and Wales. Weather maps from WX Charts reveal that an Arctic cold front will sweep across the country next week, bringing icy temperatures and widespread snowfall right before Christmas.
According to GFS model projections, by midday on December 12, a significant change will take place. What starts as heavy rain will gradually transform into snow, with the temperature plunging below freezing across much of the UK. Forecasters predict the heaviest snowfall around midday on December 12, with several inches expected to accumulate in areas such as Greater Manchester, Lancashire, and Yorkshire. North Wales is also forecast to see notable snow buildup, while western Scotland could face severe impacts from the Arctic blast.
In the immediate term, the Met Office predicts rain moving north and east across most regions, accompanied by brighter skies and showers in southern England, Wales, and Northern Ireland later in the day. Northeast Scotland will remain bright with showery spells, while colder breezes settle across many areas. Overnight, showers across Wales and southern England will ease, but cloud and rain will confine themselves to northern England and Scotland, with fog developing in eastern England and frost forming under clear skies.
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Looking ahead to later this week, fog is likely to linger until late morning, accompanied by showers in the northwest. Conditions will become cloudier with more persistent rain in western areas by the afternoon, and winds are expected to strengthen.
From Saturday through Monday, the outlook features brighter weather with blustery showers on Saturday, followed by a return of rain on Sunday. Monday looks to bring a more settled spell with sunny intervals before conditions turn unsettled again by evening.
With winter firmly settling in, residents across England, Scotland, and Wales should prepare for cold, snowy, and unsettled weather in the days leading up to Christmas.