Despite parts of England predicted to be hotter than Greece on Wednesday, maps show the heat will be shortlived and pin-point where the ‘Beast from the East’ will be felt
Winter may be coming to a close but heavy snow seems to be on the way with the ‘Beast from the East’ on the prowl from next week.
Officially, spring doesn’t start until March 20, but meteorological winter ends later this week – and while millions saw the sunshine return today, things are about to get cold again. Advanced weather forecasting maps predict a blizzard isn’t far away, and bringing snow to many areas as well as several major cities. Temperatures as low as -13C are forecast in a weather map from WXCharts, which predicts freezing temperatures are around the corner.
The weather models are turning icy and on Saturday March 7, purple patches shows the places in the firing line. It shows snow forming to the east of the UK, over the North Sea and continental Europe, before it moves over the country and brings flurries to several major cities.
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From 9am, the threat of snow is shown south of London, and in the north east, including Newcastle. In Ireland, Dublin is warned about the white stuff with parts of London and the south east seeing heavy rainfall. It won’t be long before the wet weather clears.
By midday, the maps show the snow is on the move with almost all of the north west of England is the firing line. Manchester is expected to see flurries and things are tracked to move southward with the west Midlands and parts of the west country also impacted. Accumulations aren’t expected to be greater than 1cm by this time.
But 9pm, the snow is expected to get heavier in the north west, with it being heaviest in Manchester and Stoke-on-Trent. It will hang around parts of the North East, with some sections of Yorkshire also forecast not to escape. The east coast is also expected to see some snow, with it stretching down as far as Norwich.
By midnight on Saturday, the blizard is bound for parts of London but it will be heaviest in the west and east Midlands. But according to the maps, many could be waking up to a blanket of snow.
The maps from 6am on Sunday March 8 show the so-called Beast from the East turn more fearsome, with the snow stretching for hundreds of miles from Scotland to the south coast of the UK. Heavy snow is expected to be falling right across England and Wales.
The BBC forecast for March 2 to 15 states: “Although confidence is even lower than usual for this period, there are some signs of high pressure building near the UK, leading to somewhat drier conditions, with precipitation amounts near or below average.
“However, the position of this potential high will have a notable influence on both precipitation and wind. It will most likely linger near the UK through the first week of March, bringing relatively dry conditions, along with a risk of frost and fog.
“Daytime temperatures should be at least near seasonal for most areas, and potentially above average, although some chillier conditions are possible across Scotland.
“There is a small chance that high pressure could develop at higher latitudes, which would bring a risk of a colder week, though strong cold anomalies would not be expected. Wintry showers would then become more likely.”
The Met Office expects the heaviest rainfall to come in the north-west at the start of March. It adds: “Winds will probably be strong at times, with a risk of gales. Temperatures are likely to be near to or slightly above average.”
It also says “changeable conditions” are likely in most places, coupled with some “drier and brighter interludes”.
