Exact date 21-hour snow barrage will blast Brits as UK climate maps flip blue
The UK is bracing for a 21-hour snowstorm, with advanced weather maps predicting when and where the white stuff will hit first as many still hope for a white Christmas
The UK is set for a 21-hour snow blitz, with early weather charts forecasting when and where the first flakes will fall. The snow will hit Scotland on December 15 is then predicted to gradually shift southwards, impacting Northern Ireland, Wales and parts of northern England.
By 9am, the heaviest snowfall, as shown by GFS model maps, will hit southern Scotland’s Galloway Forest Park, along with the Lake District and the Pennines in northern England. A lighter dusting is also expected in Northern Ireland around this time.
North Wales, especially Snowdonia, is due to be blanketed by heavy snow by 3pm on December 15. Snow showers are also forecasted for Ireland, with Dublin potentially seeing some flurries.
As the weather system moves down the UK, areas that dodge the snow can anticipate rain instead. Central and northern England are likely to endure downpours throughout the day.
Snow coverage maps for 9pm on December 15 reveal the full brunt of this Arctic onslaught. After 21 hours of snowfall, the white stuff is expected to have settled on the ground in North Wales, Northern Ireland, northern parts of England, including west and North Yorkshire, and nearly all of Scotland, reports Yorkshire Live.
BBC Weather has predicted for the period from 15th to 28th December: “There is very low confidence surrounding the second half of December, and not just because it’s a long way ahead. It’s also due to ongoing disturbances in the upper atmosphere and the uncertainty around their expected impacts as they trickle down to the troposphere, the layer in which our weather occurs.
“Patterns could shift, and indeed there is a tentative expectation that high pressure could become more prevalent for a while across or near the UK and Ireland. This should lead to more infrequent precipitation, so conditions could be drier than normal for a while before Christmas. High pressure alignment will dictate what happens to temperatures.
“Current indications are for them to be near or slightly above normal, but with some clearer and calmer nights there could be more frost and fog. There is a risk that high pressure could build more strongly at higher latitudes, which would bring a possibility of colder outbreaks later. On the other hand, if high pressure were to slip away the wetter conditions could return, so there is a lot yet to resolve.”
The Met Office has hinted at the possibility of snowfall in certain regions of the UK during the second half of December. Their forecast for 16th to 30th December states: “There is a greater chance of spells of high pressure during this period, bringing more in the way of dry weather compared to the unsettled patterns we are likely to see through the first couple of weeks of December, which also increases the chances of overnight fog and frost.
“There will probably still be some spells of rain, showers, and stronger winds though, especially in the west. Hill snow is also a possibility, mainly in the north. Overall, near or slightly above average temperatures are most likely, though some colder spells are also possible, especially should any prolonged settled spells develop.”
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