New weather maps show a “Beast from the East” weather front coming to batter the British Isles in a matter of days.
WXCharts have released a new graphic showing the huge wall of icy conditions come careening over Scandinavia, through Europe, and blasting across the UK.
The vast majority of the country will feel the freeze as temperatures drop to at least -10C, with some areas – mainly in the east and southeast – bearing the brunt of the blast with the mercury dropping as low as -15C.
It comes at the end of a two-week Arctic blast, which could see up to 30 inches of snow in some regions. Despite having a mild Christmas, with temperatures rising into double figures and plenty of fog settling – this will soon change as the icy chill makes its way from the east.
The mild conditions were caused by a high pressure system, which is now moving away and is set to be replaced by lows moving in from the Atlantic. These lows will clash with cold eastern, Arctic air and lead temperatures to plummet to bone-chilling levels.
The “Beast from the East” is an infamous snow storm which is formed by a polar continental air mass while pressure is high in Scandinavia. The storm last decimated the UK during the winter of 2018 and saw temperatures plummet so low that the Met Office was forced to issue an ultra-rare red weather warning. Multiple casualties were linked to the storm, which was dubbed Anticyclone Hartmut.
Though the Met Office has said there is no need for concern at present, these new weather maps may predict a worrying threat coming in just a matter of weeks.
Earlier this week, Nicola Maxey, spokesperson for the Met Office, said: “At the moment the most likely scenario for the first part of February is for fairly changeable and unsettled and towards the middle of the month there does appear to be potential for some colder spells. But it’s really not possible to look that far into the future and say if that involves snow, or whether the temperatures will be just a little below average or worse than that.
“When you’re looking at long range forecast the chaotic nature of the atmosphere comes into play so smaller events over the Atlantic have the potential to have significant impact on the weather here in several days time. While you can talk about the general feel of the forecast with some accuracy looking that far ahead it’s harder to come up with local detail, like you’d expect in shorter range forecast. There’s certainly the potential for some colder spells as we go through February but at the moment it’s still too far off to give detail.”
Weather maps predicts that this cold snap could last a full 14 days, from January 1 to the middle of the month, with northern areas first impacted most before the whole country feels the effects. WXCharts maps indicate snowfall blanketing the UK along with temperatures potentially dropping as low as -15C in some regions and snow as deep as 30 inches in high areas. Snowy conditions are likely to hit the country on the first day of 2025 with areas such as Wick, Inverness, Fort William and Portress to be the first affected.
However, the entire country is likely to be covered under snow from January 6 to 14 with weather maps turning white and purple. January 9 is likely to be the worst day as temperature levels plunge to -14C even in the southern parts of the country.
While the Met Office’s long-range forecast for January 3-12 reads: “Northerly winds will draw cold air across the UK. Showers of rain and sleet will turn increasingly to snow, especially across the north, and coasts which are exposed to the onshore wind. This cold, showery northerly may persist in the east, as high pressure builds in the Atlantic brings a period of more settled weather to western areas.
“There is also a chance that rain may move in from the south over the first weekend of January, falling as snow as it runs into colder air. Into the following week, a fairly changeable picture is probable. Wettest and windiest weather in the north and west, whilst the south and east will more likely remain more settled overall.”
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