An easterly wind – in the past linked to The Beast from the East – will make it feel significantly colder than the actual temperature this weekend – by as much as 6C in places
Snow is likely to fall across parts of the UK this weekend, the Met Office has confirmed.
Temperatures across the UK are to slowly drop during the rest of the week – to as low as -3C by Sunday – and it will feel significantly colder due to a bitter easterly wind.
It brings in cold air from Scandinavia and so precipitation will fall as snow across parts of the Midlands, Southwest of England and Wales on Saturday morning. However, it won’t be significant snowfall and disruption is expected to be minimal, the Met Office said.
Presenting a YouTube video on the weather service’s channel, meteorologist Aidan McGivern said: “It’s across parts of the West Midlands as you can see towards the southwest and Wales where it is possible that we’d get a small amount of lying snow by the start of Saturday, but we really are talking about small amounts.”
The Home Counties may also see a dusting of the white stuff throughout Saturday morning, it is understood. However, the heaviest of the snow will be across the Midlands.
Temperature exceeded 11C in Swanage, Dorset, on Wednesday but the easterly winds – in the past linked to The Beast from the East – will send the mercury plunging to -3C by the weekend.
And it will feel colder too, as the winds will be so strong. It will feel like -7C across Cumbria and parts of Lancashire on Saturday morning, but actually the accurate temperature will be between 1C and -1C in the area. It will feel like -3C across the Midlands on Sunday, again due to the icy winds.
Mr McGivern added: “It is going to feel cold, but the most important thing is it’s going to feel cold rather than it being notably cold. Temperatures are going to be a little below average.
“With that wind of course towards the south and southeast, it’s that feel of the weather that is important – the air itself especially cold… There will be frost in places but we aren’t talking about well below freezing.”
Forecasters at Netweather said snow might cause disruption on the roads this weekend but analysis by the team at the Met Office suggests this is unlikely. No weather warnings are in place as forecasts are confident any impact of the inclement weather will be minimal.
