UK snow maps show ‘5cm per hour’ blast as Met Office predict ‘polar vortex collapse’

A “polar vortex collapse” is heading to Britain according to the Met Office as advanced weather modelling maps show just how much snow could blast the nation as a result.

WX Charts‘ maps have recently been indicating that another ‘Beast from the East’ is headed our way in just a matter of days.

Now, the Met Office says the major weather event that preceded 2018’s Beast from the East looks to be coming.

READ MORE: Britain to be hit with -10C temperatures as Arctic ‘surge’ set to dump wall of snow

A huge Sudden Stratospheric Warming (SSW) led to 22 inches of snow in some regions five years ago, as well as an estimated £1.2billion in damage caused to the economy.

SSW events impact the Stratospheric Polar Vortex (SPV), a circulation of winds up to 30miles (50km) above the earth. When that circulation breaks down, extremely cold conditions take hold.

The Met Office said in a blog post yesterday (Wednesday, February 8): “The latest forecasts are showing that a major SSW is now likely to take place. The recent minor SSW weakened the SPV and it’s now likely to collapse and reverse in the middle of February.”

Professor Adam Scaife, Head of Long-Range Forecasting at the Met Office, said: “There is now over 80% chance of a major SSW occurring. Although the impact will become clearer nearer the time, any effect on UK weather is most likely to occur in late February and March.”

The post added: “Other factors can also impact the UKs weather in winter such as the Madden Julian Oscillation which is now also tracking towards a state that favours a cooler spell in late February.”

Madden Julian Oscillation is characterised by an eastward spread of large regions of enhanced and suppressed tropical rainfall, mainly observed over the Indian and Pacific Ocean.

Although the Met Office cautioned that an SWW “does not always equate to” 22 inches of snow like parts of the UK experienced in 2018, the latest weather modelling maps from WX Charts show that heavy snowfall is on the way later this month.

They earmark Tuesday, February 21, as the day when stormy conditions will start to take hold, with snow falling in Northern Ireland, western Scotland and northern England.

Areas of light purple inside darker purple on WX Charts maps indicate snow falling at a rate of around 4cm per hour.

Into Wednesday, February 22 and the maps show snow spreading out across the UK, with light flurries also in Wales and England’s north-east.

However, as the day progresses the conditions appear to worsen in concentrated areas, with snow falling at a staggering rate of at least 5cm per hour in Scotland and northern England by the evening.

Other regions, especially Northern Ireland and Wales, will see heavy rain, although much of the south-east of the UK appears to avoid any kind of downpour.

On Thursday, February 23, WX Charts show snow largely being replaced by rain, with downpours of around 3mm per hour in Wales and northern England.

Snow looks to persist in Scotland, especially around Edinburgh and Glasgow, but the storm should move off into the North Sea by Friday, February 24.

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