UK cold weather: New maps track exact moment sporadic snow barrage crashes into Britain
EXCLUSIVE: The UK is set to be hit with a barrage of wintery weather in a fortnight, with snow flurries and temperatures as low as -4C.
UK weather forecast: Hazy sunshine in places
A weather expert has confirmed snow is likely to hit Britain in days - just before the warmth of spring breaks through. Jim Dale, senior meteorologist at British Weather Services, explained what the UK's mercury may look like in the coming weeks.
Speaking to Express.co.uk, he said: "There will be some snow in March, especially in Scotland and on higher ground in England and Wales. But the weather will keep bobbing and weaving so further rain and floods are the bigger threat going forward.”
Weather maps show flurries of snow moving in across the UK from around March 6 - meaning the next barrage of snow may hit the nation in a fortnight's time. The front will begin moving north from Europe and will start with sporadic snow across the UK, but this will become stronger as it moves north to cover all of Scotland.
The snow will be followed by heavy rain across most of the UK. It will be heaviest in Wales and west Northern Ireland. By the time snow reaches Scotland, the rain will have passed the south of England.
Temperatures will be at their lowest in the middle of Scotland, falling to -4C between Inverness and Aberdeen. Elsewhere in Scotland it will be -1C. In northern England, between Newcastle and Manchester, it will be around -2C.
Wales and Northern Ireland will sit at 0C. The midlands, from Manchester to Birmingham, will be around 2C and the south of England, from Birmingham to the coast, will be 5C.
The Met Office long-range forecast paints a more mixed picture. From February 28 to March 8, it says in full: "Early rain across the south will start clearing with increasing sunny spells on Wednesday after any fog patches in central areas lift.
"Later in the day cloud and rain approach the far northwest before pushing across the UK on Thursday. This sets the scene for the following days as spells of rain are expected across all areas at times between brief settled spells, wettest overall in the west and northwest, where it will also sometimes be windy.
DON'T MISS
Best time to mow grass in spring for it to grow ‘lush and thick’ [LATEST]
Met Office forecasts bitter Icelandic freeze set to blitz Britain before spring [REPORT]
Bizarre polar air mass to split Britain with snow and flooding hell [INSIGHT]
Today:
Patchy fog and frost will lift to leave many parts dry with sunny spells. However, showers will affect western areas, and the south coast of England, and a few will develop elsewhere during the day. Breezy in the southwest.
Tonight:
Most of the showers will die out during the early evening, leaving a largely dry night with clear spells. Some fog and frost returning. Rain arriving in the southwest later.
Sunday:
Fog and frost clearing to leave most areas with sunny spells and a few showers. However, wet and windy weather in the southwest will gradually spread to other southern areas.
Outlook for Monday to Wednesday:
Wind and rain clearing from southeast England on Monday. Otherwise mostly fine, though breezy. Rain spreading southeast on Tuesday, then brighter. Showers in the north. More rain in west later.