EXCLUSIVE: A weather expert has told of what could be in store for Britain as the winter continues.
England and Wales should brace for potential wintery conditions, Mr Dale warned (Image: Getty)
An expert has warned that a “Beast from the East” could wreak havoc in the UK, bringing snow and ice across many parts of the country, as temperatures also dip to as low as -12C. Forecaster Jim Dale emphasised to The Express that at the moment “it’s a watching brief” and these conditions are not confirmed at the moment in time. But he added that if the Russian air were to win out against that from the Atlantic and the worst conditions did manifest, Britain “would be in a proper wintery situation, with widespread snow and ice.”
“It’s not too late in the winter season by a long stretch,” Mr Dale said.
“In fact, the end of January is often the favourite [for these conditions], as last year proved.”
If Britain gets the “real claws”, it would “not just be in the Glens of Scotland”, the expert warned, as “perishingly cold” conditions would grip England and Wales as well as places north of the border.
This would lead to schools being closed, and transport systems being disrupted. “It’s not out of the question that this could happen, and we need to be aware of that,” Mr Dale said.
The conditions could materialise from January 25 onwards, the forecaster specified, adding that it is at the moment too early to say what could be in store. It will become clearer over the next few days, Mr Dale said.
The Met Office says that Beasts from the East occur when pressure is high over Scandinavia. The UK then tends to experience a polar continental air mass, and, when this happens in winter, cold air is drawn in from the Eurasian landmass, bringing the cold and wintry conditions.
Its own separate forecast for January 18 to 27 reads: “Slow evolving weather patterns in the vicinity of the UK are most favoured through this period, with low pressure often to the west or southwest and high pressure near or over Scandinavia.
“Areas of rain or showers will attempt to push into some western and southwestern parts of the UK in particular, but possibly making limited eastwards progress. Longer, drier interludes are most likely in the east and northeast, though potentially rather cloudy at times.
“A gradual trend towards colder conditions is most likely through this period, especially in the south and east. As such, whilst wintry precipitation will be more reserved for hills initially, this may become more likely to lower levels later in the period.”
For January 18 to February 11, the specialists forecast: “Initially, slowly evolving weather patterns are most likely in the vicinity of the UK, with low pressure typically to the West or South-west and high pressure to the North-east.
“This configuration brings an increased chance of cold conditions affecting parts of the UK, and the associated risk of wintry hazards at times.
“Deeper into February, and whilst confidence is naturally rather low, there may be a transition to more widely unsettled conditions and perhaps a corresponding recovery in temperature back closer to average.”
