UK weather maps show -3C cold snap could extend with 41 counties affected – full list

UK weather maps show -3C cold snap could extend with 41 counties affected – full list Weather maps show large parts of the UK facing sub-zero temperatures as an Arctic blast is now expected to extend further over the country this month Brits could face a longer -3C cold snap within days, with 41 areas across the UK now at risk of freezing temperatures. Following two ferocious named storms, Austen and Boelo, the weather has been more stable over the past couple of weeks - but it is set to turn icy by mid-November. The Met Office has already said “colder conditions” are on the cards towards the end of next week, with the national weather agency also suggesting “wintry showers” are possible. GFS weather model readings suggest temperatures will start to plummet from November 11, initially in Scotland before the freeze spreads to England and Wales. The mercury could plunge as low as -3C in Scotland at around 6pm while large parts of the north see sub-zero temperatures. And the cold spell could now continue through to November 16, with temperature anomaly maps remaining blue, indicating that temperatures could drop well below the seasonal average. A WXCharts map for Saturday, November 14, shows temperatures again down to -3C at midday in Scotland while it will also be freezing in parts of northern England and much of Wales. Then two days later on November 16, the freeze will be even more widespread, stretching down to Derbyshire in England. Forecasters believe disruption to the polar vortex is from El Nino, which is causing chaos to global weather this year. The polar vortex is a swirling mass of very cold air which sits above the Earth's poles. It weakens, allowing icy Arctic air to sweep southwards, with sudden stratospheric warming where winds change direction or just slow down. These changes are notorious for triggering icy weather and snowfall - although maps do not suggest we will see flurries over the coming weeks. Experts had thought that the polar vortex could collapse in January next year, but it now appears to be coming earlier than predicted. The Met Office has issued a forecast covering November 11-20 which predicts the wintry showers as well as changeable weather with Atlantic fronts bringing rain and strong winds. It states: "At the start of this period, outbreaks of rain across the south of the UK will clear away as clearer conditions spread from the north. A few wintry showers are likely in the far north, but otherwise this will mean a spell of fine and dry weather developing for most areas. "Over the following weekend a change to more changeable weather is likely, with Atlantic frontal systems bringing rain and some strong winds. Unsettled or changeable weather will likely continue through the following week. After a cold start, temperatures will probably be above average overall." Areas with freezing temperatures in mid-November England - Cumbria - Northumberland - Lancashire - Herefordshire - Yorkshire - Durham - Tyne and Wear - Greater Manchester - Cheshire - Derbyshire Wales - Denbighshire - Powys - Gwynedd - Ceredigion - Carmarthenshire - Neath Port Talbot - Rhondda Cynon Taf - Merthyr Tydfil - Blaenau Gwent - Monmouthshire Scotland - Ross-shire and Cromartyshire - Inverness-shire - Banffshire - Argyllshire - Perthshire - Aberdeenshire - Stirlingshire - Dunbarton - Lanarkshire - West Lothian - Midlothian - Ayrshire - Dumfriesshire - Peeblesshire - Selkirkshire - Roxburghshire - Nairnshire - Moray - Kincardineshire - Angus