New weather maps predict that the UK will be bombarded by a 300-mile snow cloud in a matter of days.
Large parts of the UK could see several centimetres of snow later this month (Image: Getty)
Britain is bracing for a blast of wintry weather next week as forecasters warn of a 300-mile snow cloud sweeping across the country, bringing freezing temperatures, cold winds and the risk of travel chaos. Latest weather maps by forecaster WXCharts, generated on November 13, show a sprawling band of snow stretching from the Scottish Highlands down through northern England, reaching as far south as Manchester and Liverpool by Tuesday (November 18) evening.
The map reveals heavy snow across Glasgow, Perthshire and Aberdeenshire, with accumulations also possible in Cumbria, Northumberland and County Durham. Light snow showers could even stretch into the Pennines and Manchester area as Arctic air floods in from the north. This wintery outbreak appears to be the first major cold snap of the season, according to WXCharts, driven by an Arctic blast that will drag freezing air across the UK, with daytime highs struggling to reach 3–5C in the north and overnight lows dipping well below zero.
The wintry front will hit hardest around Newcastle, County Durham and parts of Northumberland (Image: WXCharts)
The wintry front will hit hardest around Newcastle, County Durham and parts of Northumberland, where the models suggest 2-5cm of snow could settle widely, with up to 10cm possible over higher ground in the Pennines and Northumberland National Park.
Further north, Perthshire, Angus and Aberdeenshire are also braced for significant snowfall, while lighter flurries are likely to spread as far south as Manchester, Liverpool and the Peak District. Southern England is likely to escape the worst of the snow, although frosts and cold rain are expected to make it feel bitterly cold for many.
According to another weather map, also generated on November 13, Britain could be waking up to a bitterly cold start on Tuesday, with WXCharts showing large parts of Scotland and northern England shivering in sub-zero conditions by the early hours. The coldest conditions are expected across northern and eastern Scotland, where the mercury could drop to -1C to -3C in places such as Aberdeen, Dundee and Perthshire.
Further south, the Arctic chill will bite across northern England, with Newcastle, Manchester and Stoke-on-Trent waking to temperatures near or just below freezing. Even parts of the Midlands, Wales and southern England, including London and Southampton, are forecast to hover between 1C and 3C around dawn.
Daytime maximum temperatures will struggle to reach3-5C in the north on November 18 (Image: WXCharts)
UK counties to see snow on Tuesday, November 18
- Glasgow area (Lanarkshire)
- Perthshire
- Aberdeenshire
- Angus (Dundee area)
- Fife
- Parts of the Scottish Highlands
- Cumbria
- Northumberland
- Durham
- Tyne and Wear
- Lancashire
- Greater Manchester
- Merseyside
The Met Office long-range forecast for November 17 to 26 currently reads: “All parts of the UK are likely to start off on a rather cold but bright note, with some sunshine. However, some showers are likely to pepper northern and eastern coasts, these wintry over high ground and possibly to low levels in the far northeast.
“A brisk northerly wind will accentuate the cold feel. Overnight frost will be widespread, especially in the north. Towards the middle of next week, an area of rain and stronger winds may move southeast across much of the UK, bringing a brief less cold spell, before a resumption of the cold northerly airflow with further wintry showers.
“Although very uncertain, high pressure may then settle things down by next weekend before it possibly turns milder, wetter and windier from the west late in the period.”
