The Met Office says it will “feel cold with a notable wind chill across England and Wales” during the Christmas period and weather maps support this forecast — even showing snow
Striking weather maps show snow is forecast on New Year’s Eve — amid the return of “the Beast from the East”.
Due to the fierce wind from the east, it will feel much colder than the actual air temperature in the next week. This will culminate in a bitter chill on and around December 31 when it is expected to feel as cold as -6C across parts of the East of England and the Home Counties, such as Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire. It will feel just as cold in parts of the Northeast of England, including County Durham, during the evening of December 31, forecasters say.
It will be quite a contrast to the balmy few days the UK has experienced this week, during which the mercury exceeded 12C in north Wales and across the Midlands. However, cold air is moving in from Scandinavia in time for the change of year, when snow is forecast in eastern parts of the nation.
One weather map issued by forecasters Metdesk show a white hue along the eastern coast from as far north as Aberdeenshire to Suffolk in the south. The blizzards, forecast on the night of New Year’s Eve, are anticipated to be the heaviest across East Yorkshire and Humberside.
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The Met Office website says: “Cloud breaking through the Christmas period with more sunny spells emerging. Largely dry, but also feeling cold with a notable wind chill across England and Wales. Frosty by night.”
And this forecast is supported by another Metdesk map, which shows a dark blue hue across the UK. The darker colours are in the south and east of the country, particularly across the East of England.
While it will be cold enough for snow across southern parts, it is unlikely New Year’s Eve revellers will see wintry showers as they see the year out. Rain is expected further west, such as across the Midlands.
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The BBC says temperatures will start falling in the days after Christmas. Its website reads: “Friday and Saturday look to remain dry, chilly and settled, with areas of cloud drifting in from the north-east at times, but staying brighter in the south and west.”
More than 20mm of rain fell on the Isles Of Scilly on Monday. It also rained heavily across Cumbria, data from the Met Office says. There are several flood warnings and alerts in place over the Christmas period, most of which are across the Southwest of England. There is particular concern for groundwater flooding for the Hooke in Dorset and for Curry Moor and Hay Moor in Somerset.
