SCOTLAND is forecast to see winter weather as snow and freezing temperatures hit the country next week.
A rare weather event could result in freezing temperatures across March in certain parts of the UK, primarily the north and east of Scotland.
Aberdeenshire, the Highlands and the far north are all forecast to feel the effects.
According to the Met Office, the polar vortex — "circulation of winds high up in the stratosphere" which moves at more than 155 miles per hour nearly 30 miles above the surface of the Earth — is currently growing weaker.
A strong polar vortex means less snow, and a weaker one means more.
An event called a "sudden stratospheric warming" causes it to weaken so much that we will feel the effects, and this is currently being forecast.
The shift will likely send Arctic air towards the south.
The Met Office has said: "The stratosphere polar vortex is now weakening rapidly.
"Over the last few days, the forecasts have become very confident and we are almost certain there will be a sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) in mid-March. This is when the mid stratospheric wind is predicted to reverse from westerly to easterly."
The Met added: "SSWs don’t always impact our weather but if they do it can take a few weeks before impacts might be felt on the earth surface."
Daniel Adamson of MetDesk said : “This will be the second and probably final disruption of the polar vortex this winter in the northern hemisphere, the first having taken place earlier last month, which was associated with a severe cold spell across much of the eastern half of the US.
"The next stratospheric event looks stronger than the previous one and will probably weaken the jet stream pattern.
“This may allow a release of cold air from the polar regions to move southwards into North America or Eurasia, in turn increasing the risk of significant snow for some regions.”
