Met Office weather maps show January forecast amid 'extreme' weather

The Met Office has counted out the prospect of a post-Christmas flurry of snow. Instead, the region faces a month of mild temperatures, wind and long spells of rain.

What snow does fall is expected to stick to the high ground further north, where it is common for this time of year. Those of us in the north east can expect cold temperatures at night, causing a layering of frost and morning fog but overall mild temperatures.

The mild January weather has been described as an 'extreme' weather event by forecasters, including Alex Burkill, a senior meteorologist at the Met Office. He told the Guardian: “It’s been extreme heat across a huge area, which is almost, to be honest, unheard of."

Read more: North East weather forecast for Friday and Saturday sees sunny spells before heavy rain

The Met Office's long range forecast says that showers and mild temperatures will begin to settle throughout January, making way for longer dry periods. Maps show that we can expect temperatures around 7C with some days reaching highs of 10C or 11C and lows of 3C or 4C, which is higher than average.

Rainfall will continue throughout the month, with some spells towards the end lasting most of the day. Maps show that it will cover most of Newcastle and the surrounding region.

Met Office weather maps show that some heavy rain is heading for the Newcastle area (Met Office)

Late January will be drier, though not completely, further increasing chances of frost and fog and with it we can expect to experience lower daytime temperatures. The Met Office describes the weather as becoming "less unsettled".

Recently, the weather experts confirmed that 2022 was the hottest year on record, with the average annual temperature sitting around the 10C mark. This will carry into 2023 with maps showing that temperatures will stick closer to the mild 10 degrees.

Temperatures will stick in the 7C range across the north east providing a mild start to 2023 (Met Office)

This makes a big difference from a second coming of the Beast from the East predicted by some experts last month. Headlines suggested that another storm, similar to that caused in 2018, was heading for Britain this month but that has since been thrown out by the Met Office, which says that snow is only forecast in high, northerly places.

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