UK weather maps show ‘1cm per hour’ snow as 56 counties face flurries – list

UK weather maps show ‘1cm per hour’ snow as 56 counties face flurries – list Weather models suggest the first significant snowfall of the season could come next week, and forecasters are expecting temperatures to drop in the coming days Weather forecasters expect temperatures to turn colder from next week, while models now show significant snowfall could be on the cards too. The Met Office expects “below average” temperatures from Sunday, with fog patches increasingly likely in northern areas. BBC Weather says it expects temperatures “in many areas will drop by a degree or two” as we head towards the end of this week. The GFS weather model now indicates snow may follow around the middle of next week, with flurries first impacting Northern Ireland and northern parts of Scotland at 3pm on November 12 before moving southward. Where the snow is most intense, particularly close to the Irish border, the data suggests it could fall at a rate of around 1cm per hour. By 9pm the maps show heavy snow falling in England, in north-western and central areas. Again, the GFS model data suggests flurries could come at a rate of around 1cm per hour where the snow is most intense. Barring some light snow in Scotland and North Wales, the weather front is tracked to continue eastward, with flurries hitting East Anglia at around midnight before moving off into the sea. Snow coverage maps for 9am on November 13 show snow settled on the ground across all of Northern Ireland as well as swathes of Wales, England and Scotland. In total, 56 counties across the UK are shown as having some snow on the ground. The GFS model suggests 13cm (around five inches) could settle on hills in Scotland, although accumulations elsewhere will struggle to climb past 1-2cm. UK counties facing snow next week England - Northumberland - Cumbria - Yorkshire - Lincolnshire - Cheshire - Staffordshire - Shropshire - Derbyshire - Warwickshire - Leicestershire - Worcestershire - Oxfordshire - Northamptonshire - Buckinghamshire - Berkshire - Bedfordshire - Cambridgeshire - Essex - Norfolk - Suffolk - Herefordshire Wales - Flintshire - Denbighshire - Caernarfonshire - Montgomeryshire - Merioneth - Radnorshire - Brecknockshire Scotland - Sutherland - Caithness - Ross-shire and Cromartyshire - Argyllshire - Aberdeenshire - Banffshire - Morayshire - Nairnshire - Inverness-shire - Kincardineshire - Angus - Perthshire - Stirlingshire - Dunbarton - Lanarkshire - East Lothian - Midlothian - West Lothian - Berwickshire - Peeblesshire - Selkirkshire - Roxburghshire - Dumfriesshire Northern Ireland - Antrim - Armagh - Down - Fermanagh - Londonderry - Tyrone More snow on the cards this winter The UK could face more cold spells and snow over the coming months due to this year’s particularly powerful El Nino, according to climate experts. El Nino occurs every few years when temperatures in the tropical eastern Pacific rise 0.5C above the long-term average. It can lead to the polar vortex weakening or collapsing, which means wintry conditions are more likely in the UK. The Met Office has said: “Through the latter part of the winter, following a peak in El Nino, the stratospheric Polar Vortex can become weaker, leading to an increased chance of Sudden Stratospheric Warming events unfurling, increasing the potential for cold weather.” Sudden Stratospheric Warming (SSW) causes cold air to rush downwards, impacting the jet stream and potentially creating a ‘blocking pattern’ which can keep snow and cold weather locked in place for an extended period. This process led to the infamous ‘Beast from the East’ in 2018.