Into early 2026, there is a chance for snow and a more unsettled, wetter weather to hit Britain.
Temperatures will drop in early January (Image: Getty)
Britons should prepare for a colder, more wintry turn to the weather in early January as new WXCharts maps generated today highlight a spell of snow and showers pushing across parts of England. The latest projections, based on ECMWF HRES data via MetDesk, show wintry precipitation developing on Sunday January 4, before lingering into the early hours of Monday January 5.
The first map for 6pm on Sunday, January 4, shows areas of precipitation affecting much of the UK. While rain dominates in southern and western regions, snow is predicted to affect parts of Scotland, including north-west and west Scotland, as well as central and eastern Scotland. But then it soon reaches further south.
By the time of the second chart for 6am on Monday, January 5, precipitation shifts to northern parts of England, with snowfall predicted to occur around Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Cumbria, West Yorkshire and Cheshire. The wintry conditions will first hit a localised area near Stoke-on-Trent at around 12am on January 5, and snow will spread to affect more areas further north by 6am in the morning. According to the weather maps, the snow in England will then melt away by 12pm of January 5, and after that, most areas should remain dry.
Weather map for January 4 (Image: WXCharts)
Weather map for January 5 (Image: WXCharts)
Unlike earlier projections showing widespread snow, the updated charts suggest a more marginal setup, with snowfall likely to be patchy and localised, rather than a prolonged or widespread event.
The broader outlook from BBC Weather supports a colder-than-average start to January, though forecasters stress there is significant uncertainty around how long the chill will last.
According to the broadcaster, high pressure is most likely to drift westwards towards Iceland, Greenland or the eastern North Atlantic, maintaining a north-east to north-westerly airflow. That setup would keep conditions rather cold, with occasional wintry showers in exposed areas – especially in the north.
Even if high pressure becomes centred closer to the UK, the BBC says cold conditions remain more likely than a return to milder weather, with temperatures expected to sit below the January average.
Met Office weather outlook for a period from Saturday, December 27 to Monday, January 5 reads: “High pressure is likely to dominate across the UK at the start of this period and through to the end of the year. This means that weather conditions will be largely settled and for many places it will remain dry.
It may often be rather cloudy, but any rainfall that does develop is expected to be light with overall accumulations small. Winds will mostly be light with temperatures close to or slightly below normal. Into 2026, little change is anticipated through the first week of January, with settled and mainly dry conditions continuing for many parts of the UK. However, there is a small chance that more unsettled, wetter and milder weather could develop at times, particularly in the north.”
