News Beat
Met Office – will it snow in the North East next week?
Latest weather maps from WXCHARTS show an active low-pressure system moving across the UK around Tuesday, January 27, bringing widespread rain and strong winds.
As the system pushes northwards, colder air is expected to linger across northern England and Scotland, raising the possibility of snowfall, particularly later on Tuesday and into Wednesday.
According to the charts, snow is most likely to develop across parts of the North East during Tuesday afternoon and evening as the main precipitation band moves north.
While lower-lying and coastal areas may initially see rain or sleet, heavier bursts could turn increasingly wintry, especially inland and over higher ground, before the system clears north overnight into Wednesday.
However, the Met Office remains more cautious in its assessment.
In its outlook for Monday to Wednesday, it highlights “unsettled” conditions with rain or showers, noting that Tuesday could become wet and windy with a risk of hill snow.
Temperatures are expected to remain near or slightly below average, meaning it will feel cold, but not necessarily cold enough for widespread snowfall at low levels.
Looking further ahead, the Met Office long-range forecast for Wednesday, January 28, to Friday, February 6, suggests a continued battle between Atlantic weather systems and colder air to the north and northeast.
This pattern increases the risk of wintry showers at times in the North East, particularly when fronts push into colder air.
Forecasters warn that small shifts in the track of weather systems could significantly change the snow risk.
If colder air holds firm for longer, parts of the North East could see temporary snowfall. If milder air pushes in more decisively, precipitation is more likely to fall as rain.
For now, the verdict is that snow is possible in the North East next week, especially later Tuesday into Wednesday and mainly over higher ground, but widespread disruptive snowfall is far from guaranteed.
