UK snow: Can it be too cold to snow? What is the chance of snow today?
SNOW has already started to fall across parts of the UK today including London as bitter blasts of icy winds swept in from Siberia this morning, sending the mercury plunging. Can it be too cold to snow? What is the chance of snow today?
UK weather: Snow is already falling in the UK today
Carol Kirkwood warns of SIGNIFICANT snow showers across UK
Temperatures plunged today as the so-called Beast from the East swept in chilling winds from Siberia.
Met Office yellow weather warnings for snow are in place across the UK today until Thursday, with amber warnings in place in parts of the country on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Fresh waves of snow have already fallen in London and the south-east today, with the region and much of the east coast expected to bear the front of the freezing weather front.
But forecasters warn the snowfall is so unpredictable anywhere could see snow this week.
What is the chance of snow today?
Temperatures could fall to -4C (25F) this week with icy winds making it feel close to -10C in parts on Friday.
The freezing winds are expected to make this week one of the coldest snaps in years as the icy winds sweep in from the east.
According to NetWeather, London has a 95 percent chance of snowfall today - with it already looking like a blizzard in the City of London this morning.
Norfolk, Whitby, Maidstone, Great Yarmouth and York all also see a high chance of snow today, with 95 percent chance.
Cities along the south coast such as Southampton are down
UK weather: Temperatures plunged today as the so-called Beast from the East swept in
UK weather: London has a 95 percent chance of snowfall today
Can it be too cold to snow?
Meteorologists
According to
1. A temperature profile that allows snow to reach the surface
2. Saturated air
3. Enough lifting of that saturated air to allow snow to develop aloft and fall to reach the surface
Adrienne Green said: “The phrase ‘it’s too cold to snow’ probably originated as a misapplication of the relationship between temperature and the maximum amount of water vapour that can be in the air.
“When temperature decreases, the maximum capacity of water vapour that can be in the air decreases.
“Therefore, the colder it gets the less water vapour there will be in the air.”
Most heavy snowfalls happen when there are relatively warm air temperatures near the ground and so when the temperature drops into single digits, or below zero, heavy snow is unlikely.
This is not because it is too cold, but