New weather maps show up to 78 hours of blizzard risk across the UK, with 16 cities and large towns inside the impact zone.
Colder and more unsettled weather is predicted for the end to February across Britain (Image: PA)
Britain could face up to 78 hours of snowfall risk with 16 cities in the potential impact zone as new weather maps reveal an Arctic blast sweeping toward the UK. Fresh projections from the ECMWF weather model show freezing air plunging south from Scandinavia while low pressure stalls close to the country – a pattern capable of producing repeated waves of snow rather than a single passing storm.
The charts indicate wintry weather arriving at around 6pm Thursday, February 26, and spreading on Friday, February 27 and continuing into the weekend as showers rotate around the system. WXCharts’ data suggests some regions could see on-and-off snowfall for several days, raising the risk of icy roads, hazardous driving and travel disruption, particularly across northern Britain. The first showers are expected to reach Scotland on Thursday evening, with a more organised band pushing south on Friday and turning to snow across colder northern areas and higher ground. Wintry showers then continue through Saturday and until midnight on Sunday as cold air remains in place, leaving northern regions most exposed. Southern England stays closer to milder Atlantic air with rain or sleet more likely, though brief overnight wintry bursts cannot be ruled out. The maps show snow finally leaving the UK at around
Snow is shown pushing into Scotland on Thursday evening as colder Arctic air begins moving south (Image: WXCharts)
The weather pattern shown on the maps resembles a cold northerly setup, with low pressure lingering near the UK while Arctic air feeds southwards instead of a single storm passing through.
As the system spins, snow bands repeatedly wrap around it and cross the country multiple times – meaning some places could see several separate periods of snowfall spread across roughly three days.
Higher ground in Scotland is most likely to see the deepest accumulations, while lower-lying towns may experience temporary coverings followed by icy conditions.
Forecasters stress long-range charts can still change, but the models increasingly point toward a colder and more unsettled end to February across Britain.
Heavy snow is shown hitting large parts of the UK in early March (Image: WXCHARTS)
The weather map shows nearly all of the UK covered in snow (Image: WXCHARTS)
Areas in the snow danger zone
Scotland
- Glasgow
- Edinburgh
- Aberdeen
- Dundee
- Inverness
Northern England
- Newcastle
- Carlisle
- Durham
- Leeds
- Sheffield
- Manchester
Fringe risk areas
- Liverpool
- Stoke-on-Trent
- Nottingham
- Birmingham
- Belfast
