Britons who hoped for a white Christmas this year may get the snow they were dreaming of, albeit slightly delayed.
Weather experts have honed in on a collapsing Polar vortex, which could lead to a big freeze across January - serious enough to make December's sleety spell look like a breeze.
Experts have added that the snow could start to fall by midnight tonight in parts of the UK, as revellers wave goodbye to 2022 and start afresh on January 1.
Read more: 2022 to break UK warmest temperature record despite cold December start
The Daily Star reports that within ten days, the country could be covered in snow, with Arctic temperatures and icy winds coming shortly after. And while it'll be a spectacle to behold for fans of a winter wonderland, many will find it challenging to cope amid a cost of living crisis and rising energy bills.
Meteorologists have their eyes trained on the vortex - a pool of cold air spinning over the North Pole - amid fears it could spark a Sudden Stratospheric Warming event, also known as an SSW. One such weather incident drove the 2018 Beast From The East Arctic blast which left swathes of the UK covered by deep snow in February of that year.
The phenomenon is caused by a change in wind direction high above the North Pole forcing air to descend from the stratosphere and flood the US, Asia and northern Europe. Exacta Weather forecaster James Madden said: "A Sudden Stratospheric Warming event is now looking even more likely to occur this winter and this could happen as soon as in the next 10 days or so.
"This will mean that the cold air over the Arctic will be given a route to cross our shores."
In addition to above-average snowfall it could pave the way for another big freeze leaving the cold snap earlier in December a distant memory.
If an SSW does set in icy weather could hit Brits around the middle of January, he warned. "We could see snow hitting parts of Britain around the New Year period, but this is likely to be restricted to the northern half of the country,’’ he said.
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