Snow could fall as far south as Devon as weather forecasting maps reveal Brits may face blizzards lasting for nine consecutive days while temperatures drop to -3C
Temperatures soared over 19C in parts of the UK this week – but they could soon plummet below freezing.
Advanced weather forecasting maps point to snow and wintry conditions impacting millions of Brits later in March, despite the balmy start of the month.
The ECMWF weather model shows snow falling in western, central and eastern Scotland on March 13, with flurries also impacting Wales and Northern Ireland. Snow could fall at a staggering rate of around four inches per hour in parts of Wales, the data suggests.
For March 14, 15 and 16, the maps show snow will be concentrated in Scotland. The greatest accumulations can be expected on March 15 as snow is expected across most of the country including Glasgow and Edinburgh.
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Maps for March 17 show sparse pockets of snow spread more widely across the UK. Northern parts of England and South Wales could see flurries around midday, with Swansea in the firing line.
The flurries could move across England on March 18. The ECMWF model shows snow falling in Devon and Hampshire in the south of England. Northern Ireland could also see some serious snowfall at around midday.
Small pockets of snow are again expected in western parts of Scotland, Wales and England on March 19, while on March 20 the maps show massive flurries over almost all of Scotland and a large swathe of northern England. Manchester could get some snow in the early hours. Lighter flurries are then expected in Scotland on March 21.
Temperatures are expected to drop below freezing throughout these nine straight days of snow. Maps for March 19 show the mercury could plunge to -3C in Scotland, -1C in Northern Ireland and northern parts of England, and 0C in Wales.
The Met Office says Brits could face “wintry hazards” later in March. However, the national weather agency does not expect “really cold” conditions to take hold.
The Met Office forecast for March 20 to April 3 states: “The start of this period could see unsettled conditions fairly widely across the UK, with spells of rain and strong winds affecting many areas at times, although western areas likely remain wettest.
“Then, whilst confidence in the details is low, there is the potential for weather patterns to become slower-moving by late March, with unsettled weather becoming more confined to parts of the south, as areas towards the north and northwest turn drier.
“Given this pattern, the chance of wintry hazards will increase compared to earlier in March. Overall, temperatures will probably end up near to average, but there is an increasing chance of below average temperatures towards the end of March, but at present there is no strong sign for any really cold weather to develop.”
BBC Weather says for March 16 to 29: “The second half of March will most likely start off with a similar pattern, with high pressure across the European continent while low pressure systems steer across the eastern North Atlantic. They will occasionally bring frontal systems across the UK.
“Initially these could mostly impact northern and western regions, with somewhat drier conditions for the southern UK, but rainfall could become more widespread. Temperatures may come down a little overall but should still be mostly near to a little above average overall.
“However, as we have seen in previous outlooks, there could be a chance of high pressure building at higher latitudes towards the end of the month. This might bring a risk of some colder air filtering southwards by the start of April, although that remains very uncertain at the moment.”
