Met Office forecasters declared today the hottest of the year so far, but now weather maps suggest blizzards are around the corner with snow hitting cities including London
Despite temperatures soaring across the UK today, freezing conditions and snow look to be right around the corner for many.
Advanced weather forecasting maps reveal snow could fall for eight consecutive days later this month as major cities including London welcome some of the white stuff.
The blizzards are expected to start on March 13, as the ECMWF weather model shows sparse pockets of snow forming over Scotland, northern England and parts of the south-west.
An Atlantic weather front looks set to sweep in on March 14, with snow shown falling in Northern Ireland, southern Scotland and northern England while heavy rain hits the rest of England and Wales.
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The maps show yet more snow coming on March 15, again confined to northern regions. Cities including Glasgow, Edinburgh and Newcastle could see some flurries at around 6am.
Across March 16 and 17, the data shows light snow falling over hills in Scotland. Some wintry showers could also impact South Wales and the south-west of England at around midday on March 17.
That snow is then expected to drift eastwards. Maps for 6am on March 18 staggeringly show snow impacting southern England and London.
On March 19 and 20 more of the white stuff looks set to impact Northern Ireland, northern England and Scotland – rounding off eight consecutive days of snowfall.
Temperatures will drop below freezing at times throughout this period, the maps suggest. On March 18, the mercury could drop as low as -2C in northern England and Scotland. Even in southern England, daytime temperatures might struggle to climb much above 4C.
The Met Office says “wintry hazards” could impact the UK later this month. However, the national weather agency does not expect “really cold” conditions.
The Met Office forecast for March 19 to April 2 states: “The start of this period could see unsettled conditions quite widely across the UK, with spells of rain and strong winds affecting many areas at times.
“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, though at present, there is no strong sign for any really cold weather to develop.”
