Weather maps show heavy snowfall could hit a massive 713-mile stretch of the UK
New weather maps have revealed a vast, country-wide snow bomb predicted to unleash flurries of up to an inch per hour across the UK.
The mild weather of early December has given way to a biting cold in certain regions, plunging several areas into a harsh freeze. This is expected to intensify in the new year, as latest weather maps indicate a potentially uncomfortable mix of snow and ice for Brits living over a large several-hundred-mile area.
Tens of thousands of people living along a 713-mile stretch are set to experience the first significant snowfall of 2026, with settled totals potentially exceeding an inch.
Maps from Ventusky, a weather charting service that utilises public datasets from major organisations such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and DWD (German Weather Service), show the UK and the rest of Europe being severely affected on January 8 next year.
The heavy snowfall is forecasted to start in the early afternoon around 1.30pm, depositing between 1cm and 5cm across the expansive several-hundred-mile region, reports the Mirror.
The snow extends from Eastbourne on England’s south coast to Mellon Udrigle on the Scottish northeast coast, with the heaviest snowfall impacting areas on the western end of the strip. These areas include major cities like London, Oxford, Reading, Birmingham, Manchester, and Glasgow, as well as the entirety of the Lake District National Park.
Residents in communities surrounding these regions are expected to see approximately 2.5cm to 3cm of snow falling each hour, totalling roughly an inch throughout the afternoon.
At the same time, maps from WXCharts show a bitter cold taking over, with minimum temperatures of 0C in the snowfall area and maximums of just 5C.
The Ventusky maps show the UK will be hit by generally widespread snowfall in Europe, with the rest of the continent draped in heavy snowfall at the same time.
Most other European nations will see a similar amount of snow, with mountainous areas up to 200cm – a massive six feet. While the Ventusky forecast predicts significant snowfall for the UK, the Met Office, the country’s official forecaster, makes no mention of incoming wintry spells beyond “colder and drier” conditions.
The forecast, which covers December 31 to January 9, states: “High pressure is likely to be centred to the west or northwest over the North Atlantic through this period with low pressure to the east.
“Slowly evolving weather patterns are therefore most probable through this time. However, around the turn of the year, an area of low pressure may move through the North Sea bringing a period of wetter and windier weather, especially to the north. With cold air close to the UK, some wintry hazards are possible in places.
“Into January more settled conditions with colder and drier than average conditions are most probable. There will however be some periods of rain or showers and windier spells. Temperatures will probably be below average for this period overall and so wintry hazards remain a possibility in places.”
