First snow in England since last winter may arrive soon, Met Office warns

The UK is getting ready for its initial major snowfall since last winter, with temperatures dropping sharply throughout the nation starting ...

The UK is getting ready for its initial major snowfall since last winter, with temperatures dropping sharply throughout the nation starting this weekend.

The United Kingdom has experienced unusually warm conditions for late autumn in recent weeks, althoughHurricane Claudia is expected to cause rainy and gusty weather tomorrow..

However, a change in wind direction is expected to bring Arctic air across the nation, increasing the likelihood of snow in the northern regions throughout the weekend.

Snow has already started to fall in some areas of Scotland today, with people captured on camera walking through snowflakes on Cairngorm Mountain in the Highlands.

By the middle of next week, circumstances might also be chilly enough for the entire nation to experience snowfall at times, according toITV forecaster Laura Tobin.

The Met Officehas cautioned about a 'significant shift in our weather coming over the next ten days,' with temperatures expected to be 'substantially lower across the board' by the following week.

Ms Tobin told Good Morning Britaintoday: 'It's very warm. Will we actually experience snow next week? And the response is: yes, we will. It's thrilling, isn't it! We'll be saying farewell to the mild weather and welcoming some sunshine.'

She mentioned that cold air would begin to move down through Scotland and northern England starting from the weekend, noting that charts from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMRF) indicated snow was expected from Saturday.

There might initially be snow flurries on the hills of Scotland, followed by heavier snowfall on Sunday in the Highlands and certain areas of northern England and Wales. Snow could reappear in northern Scotland on Monday, with a break on Tuesday.

However, Ms. Tobin mentioned that on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, "for everyone next week, there is a possibility of experiencing snowfall – it will be most noticeable in northern regions, but there's a chance that all of us could see snow as we move into next week."

Prior to that, flooding might affect certain areas of the UK tomorrow, as forecasters have issued two amber alerts for rain due to Storm Claudia bringing heavy rainfall and strong winds.

However, the northern part of the UK will experience a colder air mass by the weekend, bringing overnight frosts, along with drier and clearer conditions, although there may be occasional showers.

Further south, the weekend will start mostly cloudy and rainy, with temperatures remaining relatively warm in the southernmost areas, although the rain will slowly decrease and eventually disappear toward the south.

The more arid and frigid conditions located further north are anticipated to impact every region of the UK by the beginning of the following week.

The UK's Met Office stated: 'Throughout the coming week, temperatures will drop significantly across all regions, particularly in the northern and eastern areas, where a strong northerly wind will make the cold more pronounced and bring the first snowfall of the season to certain locations.'

The weather service's meteorologist Alex Burkill stated: 'There is a significant shift in our weather coming over the next ten days.'

We will be saying farewell to the current milder and occasionally wetter weather, and instead, we will experience significantly colder conditions, which could bring some snow to many areas.

Current temperatures in the southern region are several degrees higher than usual for this time of year, but they are expected to fall below normal by the end of the weekend.

By Monday, the cold air from the Arctic will spread throughout the nation, with temperatures expected to be several degrees below normal for this time of year.

Mr. Burkill stated, "That will truly represent a significant shift from what we've grown accustomed to throughout much of November, when the weather has been remarkably warm."

He remarked: "A major topic of discussion will be the possibility of witnessing some snow."

Mr. Burkill added, "From Sunday to Monday, the colder air will begin to take effect, leading to a higher likelihood of showers sweeping in over the northern regions of Scotland specifically, with a good chance of experiencing some sleet and snow."

So impacting areas in Northern Ireland, Northern England, and possibly North Wales as we move into Tuesday. However, it's during the middle and later part of next week when things might become more intriguing.

There is a possibility that a weather system could move southward as the high pressure area shifts towards the West. Should this occur, we may experience some snow along the northern part of the system, which then spreads further south. We might witness some snowfall in various areas.

The final snow advisory released by the UK's Met Office occurred during the previous winter, when a yellow warning was issued for certain areas of Scotland on February 18.

The latest snow alert for England covered certain areas in the North West on January 24.

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