Week Ahead – the battleground continues 01/02/21
Cold air to the north, mild to the south and significant snow in between for some. Later this week, freezing easterly winds will bring large snow amounts to northeast Scotland before this cold air starts to spread further south into the weekend.
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00:00Hello, and welcome to the Met Office Week Ahead forecast.
00:03It's yet another week of significant contrasts
00:06across the UK, with mild weather often in the south
00:09and rain at times.
00:11Much colder in the north, with, in some places,
00:14substantial snow, particularly northeast Scotland
00:17by the end of the week.
00:18It's been cold for some time in the north,
00:21with cold air remaining in Scotland and parts
00:23of northern England during this week.
00:25Mild air pushing in from the southwest
00:27leads to a battleground situation.
00:30Weather fronts coming up against the cold air
00:32will lead to the risk of snowfall.
00:34And as we start off Tuesday, the early rainfall
00:36will be easing across the southern half of the UK,
00:39but it will be falling as snow over some northern areas.
00:43Initially, rain and hill snow for Northern Ireland,
00:46that eases.
00:47Snow mainly over the Antrim Hills,
00:48but the most significant snowfall
00:50expected for parts of northern England
00:53into southern Scotland.
00:54There could be some snow at lower levels,
00:56a couple of centimetres or so in places away from coast.
00:59But the most disruptive snow likely
01:01over the higher parts of northern England
01:03and southern Scotland, 10 centimetres for many,
01:06and over some of the highest level routes,
01:08disruption from 20 centimetres of snow.
01:11It is easing, and it's turning back
01:12to rain there for the south Pennines
01:14towards the afternoon, although there
01:16could be some freezing rain, leading to icy patches.
01:18Meanwhile, more bouts of wet weather
01:20push into Northern Ireland.
01:21Wales and the southwest, some heavy showers
01:23here falling on saturated ground,
01:25along with a strong southwesterly breeze.
01:27And of course, that's keeping things mild in the south,
01:3012 to 14 Celsius, but much colder further north.
01:33And it's always in that boundary where
01:35we're seeing some significant snow during the coming days.
01:39A similar situation on Wednesday.
01:40Some heavy rain, first thing, I think,
01:42for the southeast of England.
01:43That eases away.
01:45And then once again, our attention
01:47on this central part of the UK, where
01:49there will be some mainly rain at lower levels,
01:52but some significant hill snow.
01:53And in this warning area, snow warning for 20 centimetres,
01:57perhaps as much as 40 centimetres over the Grampians.
02:01So significant hill snow, but rain at lower levels
02:03during Wednesday.
02:04And further heavy showers coming into Wales and the south.
02:07We'll know a better chance of some sunshine and drier
02:10interludes, I think, during Wednesday
02:12for southern counties.
02:13Staying cold in the far north, where it will also be bright,
02:16but some wintry showers for Shetland, Orkney,
02:19and the far north of Scotland.
02:22But it's certainly going to feel cold
02:24through this central zone, where we've
02:26got the rain and hill snow continuing during Wednesday.
02:31Now, into Wednesday night, so you
02:32can see that battleground, really,
02:34this weather front in between the very cold air
02:36across Scotland and the much milder air further south.
02:40And the isobars tightening, strengthening
02:44east to northeast winds across Scotland into Thursday.
02:47And that will just drive further areas of snowfall,
02:50especially over the higher parts of northeast Scotland
02:53throughout much of Thursday.
02:54Rain around coastal areas and at the very lowest levels.
02:57And outbreaks of rain also for northern England
03:00into parts of Wales, as well as the southwest later in the day.
03:03So showers, or longer spells of rain for many.
03:05But the brightest and driest weather in the southeast,
03:0811 Celsius here.
03:10Cold and bright in the far north,
03:11and perhaps a drier day to come for Northern Ireland.
03:15This is the snow warning, though.
03:17And it's from Thursday to Saturday,
03:18because throughout this time, those strong northeast winds
03:21will blow heavy snowfall into the higher parts of northeast
03:25Scotland.
03:26And in fact, that snow eventually affecting lower
03:29parts, as well, away from immediate coasts.
03:3120 to 30 centimetres building up over hills,
03:33and horrible conditions over the hills with blizzards,
03:37along with gale force winds.
03:39Now, that continues into Friday.
03:40It's relentless, that snow, in some parts
03:42of northeast Scotland.
03:43And the cold air is starting to sink south once again
03:46to bring some hill snow to southern Scotland and northern
03:49England.
03:49But brighter skies for Northern Ireland,
03:51for southern parts of England, as well as Wales.
03:54And a largely dry day for the south.
03:56Although temperatures, by this stage, starting to come down.
03:59Back to average in the south, staying on the cold side
04:02further north.
04:03And into the weekend, this is the low
04:05that's dominating things throughout the second half
04:07of the week.
04:08And although there is some uncertainty about the shape
04:11and track of this low, what looks highly likely
04:14is that it will sink south at some point.
04:16And cold easterly winds in the north
04:18will also sink south, spreading very cold air
04:22to all parts of the UK.
04:23So although it's mild at times during the first half
04:26of this week in the south, the cold air in the north
04:29spreads south through the weekend.
04:31Easterly winds developing eventually.
04:33And that brings the enhanced risk of snow
04:36by the start of next week for some.
04:39Especially in the east, because that's
04:41where the winds are coming from.
04:42But stay tuned for more updates on that,
04:46as and when we get more information.
04:47And of course, you can stay across all the updates
04:50by following us on social media.
04:51Bye bye.