Brits are set for the return of snow up and down the country in February with temperatures tumbling to -8C with the impact of a polar vortex.
It has been bitterly cold following a mild start to the New Year and as temperatures begin to move towards a seasonal average, more cold weather is not too far away.
A north-south divide has seen warm air coming from the Atlantic which has been pushing temperatures close to double figures in the north of Scotland but it is a lot colder in southern and central England.
A new yellow warning has been issued for the south west of England and is in place until 8am on Wednesday morning, with forecasters telling of low temperatures and that travel times may be impacted.
Over the coming days the milder air from the Atlantic is expected to continue to come and bring relief to the icy temperatures that have hit -9C this week.
But maps from WXCharts show that there is wintry weather on the way next month and by February 10 there could be 15 centimetres of snow falling and temperatures of -8C.
And the weather could be caused by the end of a polar vortex where winds spin around the North Pole and keep cold air trapped in the Arctic.
A knock-on effect is a weaker jet stream, which usually brings our mild westerly Atlantic breezes, therefore opening the door to Arctic air plunging towards Britain, usually about two weeks later.
There is even a 25% chance of the polar vortex weakening so much that it triggers a rare phenomenon known as a ‘sudden stratospheric warming’ (SSW), in which the North Pole’s high-altitude air warms up, possibly shunting an even fiercer mass of low-level polar air towards the UK.
An SSW would be the first since January 2021, when it caused Britain’s coldest temperature for 26 years, -23C in Aberdeenshire.
Met Office forecaster Alex Deakin said: “Computer models show an SSW is a possibility.”
Before that, though, there is the weather warning for today from the Met Office which states: "Freezing fog will lead to difficult driving conditions and could cause travel delays in some areas."
Temperatures will rise heading towards the weekend with BBC weather forecaster Tomasz Schafernaker saying: "We will also lose the frost in the south of the country where recently it has been very cold.
"A cold front is running across the country, introducing a little bit of rain early in the morning across northern parts of the UK across Scotland and Northern Ireland.
"Little bits of rain and murky conditions further south as well, there will be a touch of frost first thing, anywhere from East Anglia through the south east down towards the West country but the vast majority of us will have temperatures above freezing first thing.”
UK 5 day weather forecast
Today:
Cloudy start for many with some freezing fog over parts of southern UK at first. Early rain over Scotland moves southwards reaching southern England later this afternoon. Brighter conditions follow, with some showers in the far north.
Tonight:
Early evening rain over southern England soon clears away southwards. Otherwise, clear spells and a dry, chilly night for many, but some showers in the far north.
Thursday:
Most areas fine and dry with sunny spells. Quite windy in northern and eastern coastal areas where some showers expected. Colder than today for many.
Outlook for Friday to Sunday:
A cold start for most on Friday, with some rain in the northwest, spreading south on Saturday and Sunday but becoming lighter, with showers following. Becoming windy in the north.
