- ‘Freezing rain’ is likely to hit Northern England and Scotland on Wednesday
Britain is expected to be hit by snow and heavy rain this week after the Met Office issued a warning for a ‘rare’ weather phenomenon.
A new weather map from WXCharts has shown that snowfall is predicted to fall across large areas of Scotland on Tuesday morning, with as much as four inches falling every hour in places such as Argyll and Bute.
Many people were seen welcoming in the start of spring last week when mild sunny weather was felt across the country, but this did not last very long as single digit temperatures were recorded this weekend.
In England, parts of Lancashire, the Lake District and East Ayrshire could be left under a thick blanket of the white stuff on Monday evening, as the mercury is set to drop as low as -2C.
Meanwhile, downpours are predicted to batter Wales, the Midlands and the South Coast of England, with up to 10mm falling per hour as a band of low pressure moves in from the west.
The cold climate could lead to the rarely seen ‘freezing rain’ – water that freezes almost instantly on impact – falling in northern England and Scotland on Wednesday.
According to The Met Office, this weather event is rare in the UK because the conditions have to be quite specific for it to occur.
A new weather map from WXCharts has shown that snowfall is predicted to fall across the country this week
SCOTLAND: A snow plough in the Cairngorms National Park near Aviemore – heavy snowfall is predicted in large parts of this country this week (photo from December 10)
In regular UK climates, precipitation usually first falls from a cloud as snow, before melting and turning into droplets when passing through warmer air as it reaches the ground.
However, the Met Office believes that this week, the droplets will pass through cold air again before reaching the ground, turning it into ‘freezing rain’.
The Met Office website says: ‘These droplets can become ‘supercooled’ and this means that they are still falling in liquid form, even though their temperature has fallen below zero.
‘When this ‘supercooled’ droplet hits the ground (which is below zero too) it spreads out a little on landing, and then instantly freezes, encasing the surface in a layer of clear ice. This is why it is called freezing rain.
‘It can produce striking effects, as the raindrop spreads out momentarily across the surface before it freezes, encasing the surface in a layer of clear ice.’
Because it is so hard to predict, the Met Office hasn’t issued any direct warnings for snow, but wintery, single digit temperatures will be back this week and remain until at least Thursday.
Monday’s forecast remained ‘dry and bright start in the north and east’, and was ‘cloudier and breezier in the west with spells of rain pushing north-eastwards, turning heavy at times and wintry in Scotland’. Elsewhere though, it will be a wet and windy start to the week.
The majority of the UK will have a wet and windy start to their week
Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Monmouthshire are likely to experience mild thunderstorms in the middle of week, as 4mmm of rain is likely to fall in just three hours on Wednesday night.
By Easter bank holiday weekend from March 29 to April 1, temperatures are expected to reach highs of 10C.
For those looking to make plans for the long Easter weekend, Met Office spokesman Oli Claydon advised them to keep an eye on the forecast.
He said: ‘The crucial thing is just to keep up to date with the forecast. This far ahead, the forecast will change as certainty increases.’
