EASTER POLAR PLUNGE: Britain braced for snow THIS WEEKEND as temperatures hit MINUS 18
BRITAIN will be blanketed with snow from Scotland to the Isle of Wight this weekend as a polar blast brings in temperatures of -18C.
Easter snow could bring fresh travel misery for the UK
Forecasters are warning that huge swathes of southern and central England will be inundated as a bout of freezing weather brings about a polar start to spring.
Snow will fall in an unbroken belt from Edinburgh to Hampshire with southern England, the Midlands and East Anglia all set to receive up to three inches on Saturday morning.
Up to seven inches will fall across parts of Yorkshire and Lancashire as winter bares its teeth.
The polar plunge will begin tonight, with the mercury set to plunge and freezing arctic winds bringing strong gusts and driving rain for much of Britain.
It will snow from Scotland to the Isle of Wight on Saturday
Temperatures will plunge to -18C in some parts
Leon Brown, chief meteorologist at The Weather Company, said: "We will have to watch another area of low pressure swinging from the west and into the Arctic flow on Thursday night to Friday. This threatens snow across Wales to central Britain with moderate falls over the Pennines and Welsh Mountains.
"The northerly winds from the Arctic will return again this weekend, and there is even a risk of some snow over the south early on Saturday. Further snow showers moving down across Scotland to central Britain at times too."
The Met Office has predicted colder than average conditions, with snow coming down from Iceland until mid-March and sub-zero temperatures most nights.
The greatest risk of snowfall and heavy ice will be in March and April.
The weather will deteriorate significantly towards the weekend
Authorities are warning the snow could bring travel chaos
With the cold pattern persisting and a cold start to spring, the chances of snow at Easter are quite high
A polar plunge is known as a “sudden stratospheric warning” when air heats up high over the North Pole bringing cold, low-level Arctic air south to Britain for up to 14 days.
This weather event has caused temperatures to drop in the past, including -18C conditions in 2009 and 2010, and lows of -13.6C in 2013.
However, people who were disappointed that we did not see a White Christmas may be in luck as the likelihood of colder temperatures in March combined with the prospect of higher than average precipitation increases the chance of snow.
The cabinet office, transport bosses, councils and emergency services are planning for the cold weather, according to the Daily Star Sunday.
There may be snow and ice in March and April
The coldest ever April temperature is -15.0C
Emergency services are planning for the cold weather
This could be vital to keep the country moving as snowy conditions, along with the school holidays, may pose a threat to transport services.
Families looking to get away may have to suffer serious disruption on March 25, which is Good Friday.
Forecaster Brian Gaze of The Weather Outlook, said: “With the cold pattern persisting and a cold start to spring, the chances of snow at Easter are quite high.”
Snowed Under Driver
The Met Office spring forecast said: “The greatest risk of cold weather impacts is in late March and early April, due to the likelihood of a sudden stratospheric warming event in early March."
Britain's coldest ever March temperature is -22.8C, on March 14, 1958, at Logie Coldstone, Aberdeenshire.
The coldest ever April temperature is -15.0C on April 2, 1917, at Newton Rigg, Cumbria.