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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
National
Fionnula Hainey

Met Office update on potential cold snap as jet stream moves over from America

The Met Office says the UK can expect 'wet and windy weather' over the coming days as an Atlantic jet stream moves into the UK from the United States. Parts of North America including New York are currently in the midst of a deadly cold snap, with four feet of snow falling in the worst hit areas and thousands left without power.

Forecasters are predicting that while the cold air across the US will steer low pressure towards the UK, we are unlikely to see the same extreme low temperatures here. In an update on Twitter, the Met Office posted a graphic showing the jet stream moving in an easterly direction towards the UK through Thursday and Friday.

It said: "The extremely cold air across North America will help to fuel a powerful Atlantic jet stream. The strong jet stream will steer low pressure systems towards the UK, bringing wet and windy weather over the coming days." The post added that there are "currently no signs of any exceptionally cold weather heading for the UK".

READ MORE: Met Office weather forecast for Greater Manchester as more heavy rain expected

The Met Office has predicted "unsettled" weather for Brits on New Year's Eve this year. The forecast for Friday to Sunday says: "Unsettled with spells of rain, occasionally heavy, across most areas Friday and Saturday. Snow over the Highlands. Cooler Sunday with showers and rain for the south. Overnight frosts and fog."

In the US, western New York saw the deadliest storm in at least two generations over Christmas. A total of 27 people have been killed in the city of Buffalo, which has seen the worst of the harsh weather. Other nearby states were also reeling from the ferocious winter storm, with at least an additional two dozen deaths reported in other parts of the country, and power cuts in communities from Maine to Washington state.

In Buffalo, bodies were found in cars, homes and snowbanks. Some had died while shovelling snow, others when emergency crews could not respond in time to medical crises. County Executive Mark Poloncarz called the blizzard “the worst storm probably in our lifetime”, even in an area known for heavy snow.

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