Weather forecasters reckon temperatures could rise as high as 21C in the UK today – but now weather modelling maps show snow and freezing conditions are just days away from making a return
Today is expected to be the hottest day of the year so far with weather forecasters predicting temperatures as high as 21C in some parts of the country. But now advanced weather modelling maps show cold, snow and heavy rain are set to make a return sooner rather than later.
According to the Met Office, the mercury should rise highest in and around London today – although almost all of England and Wales can expect temperatures to peak between 16C and 20C. Only in the North East, Northern Ireland and Scotland do forecasters expect afternoon temperatures to stay below 15C.
Weather maps reveal SNOW could return to UK in surprise location after 21C heat blast
GFS weather model maps show temperatures should stay high on Friday, Saturday and Sunday too – particularly in southern parts of the country – before dropping off significantly on Monday. And on Tuesday the maps suggest daytime temperatures might struggle to rise much above 1C.
Northern England and the Midlands are expected to be the coolest areas. In Scotland, Northern Ireland and the South East, temperatures might only climb as high as 5C. This looks to be the theme for most of next week.
Come next Friday (March 28) the GFS model suggests daytime temperatures could peak at 0C in Northern Ireland and some parts of South Wales. East Anglia is expected to be the warmest region – but possibly only peaking at 5C.
The weather maps also show a massive storm front sweeping across the UK on that Friday, bringing heavy rain to all of England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and snow to some southern parts of Scotland. The data suggests snow could be falling at a rate of around 3cm per hour where flurries are most intense.
And those grim conditions are expected to continue into the early hours of Saturday (March 29). Maps for 6am show snow falling in the far north of Scotland as well as over the Pennines in northern England.
However the flurries are expected to have become less intense by this time, with the data showing snow falling at a rate of around 1cm per hour.
Met Office weather forecasters have warned of “heavy showers” to come from next week. The national weather agency’s forecast for March 24 to April 2 states: “Still rather unsettled across much of the UK at first with scope for some heavy showers across parts of the south on Sunday, but overall, the final week or so of March to the start of April looks to be characterised by a slowly evolving, generally changeable weather pattern.
“This means some drier interludes are likely, perhaps more especially in the south, where overnight fog is also a possibility. Further north and northwest, there is a greater chance of rain or showers, these accompanied by windier conditions at times.
“There is a small chance that these wetter, windier conditions may become more widespread for a time. Temperatures will probably pan out close to average overall, though chilly nights remain possible where clear skies coincide with light winds.”
