A cold snap is on the way for the UK as high pressure over Scandinavia strengthens, creating a blocked weather pattern that will bring chilly easterly winds. This type of weather setup means conditions will stay largely the same for an extended period, with colder and drier air moving in.
While easterly winds in winter can sometimes bring extreme cold and heavy snow, like the Beast from the East in 2018, that’s not the case this time. The air over the Baltic States and Russia, where this cold is coming from, is actually 5°C to 10°C warmer than usual for this time of year. Plus, the wind isn’t coming directly from the east, which takes some of the edge off the cold.
Even so, temperatures will drop below average over the weekend and into next week. It won’t be anything extreme, but it will feel much colder, especially in the South and East, where wind chill will make it feel even more freezing. Night-time temperatures will be closer to normal for February, with frost forming where skies remain clear. Rural parts of northwest Scotland will likely see the coldest temperatures, dropping as low as -7°C, though it won’t be as bitter as the -18.9°C recorded in Altnaharra last month.
The UK Health Security Agency has issued yellow cold health alerts for parts of England, including the North East, North West, Yorkshire, the Humber, and the South East. These warnings will be in place from Friday morning through Tuesday morning, advising people to take extra care in colder conditions.
As for snow, there’s no sign of anything too disruptive. However, parts of the South and East could see a light covering at times, particularly on Saturday and Monday.
How long this cold spell will last remains uncertain. If milder, wetter weather pushes in, it could actually bring a higher chance of heavier snow, as the UK’s most significant snowfalls tend to happen when warm, moist air meets colder air already in place. For now, though, it’s just a spell of colder weather—so it’s best to wrap up warm.
