In the coming days, Britain could be hit by snow and ice as temperatures plummet below the average for March. The Met Office said a ‘highly amplified’ jet stream will push colder weather from near Greenland towards the north of the UK by the weekend. Meteorologists say that could lead to ‘disruptive snow in places’ by the start of next week. However, the disruption is not expected to be as severe as the conditions seen in 2018 when the ‘Beast hit Britain from the East’.
A deep freeze has gripped Europe recently, with snow even blanketing some of the continent’s most popular summer holiday destinations. Today, experts expect the skies to remain cloudy, with some scattered light showers, particularly in eastern and central areas of England and southeast Scotland and possibly elsewhere. Some parts of north-western Scotland and south-east England may experience occasional sunny spells.
Explaining next week’s forecast, Aidan McGivern, from the Met Office, said: ‘During the weekend, low pressure over the Mid-North Atlantic will start to feed energy northwards and allow high pressure over the UK to migrate towards Greenland. ‘At the same time, there’s a highly amplified, very perturbed jet stream. It loops around this low (pressure). Then it pushes back to the north of the high pressure developing over Greenland, allowing this northerly feed that’s allowing the colder weather to push into the north of the UK by the end of Saturday.’
Mr McGivern added that the cold air would most likely be pushed into Britain’s north and east areas, though the pattern could change as the week progresses. ‘As that happens, the low pressure from the south and the west is likely to push in and mix with the cold at the north and east, leading to some disruptive snow in places by the start of next week,’ he said. The Met Office’s long-range forecast for the rest of the month also warns of wintry showers and heavy snow.
Parts of the continent famed for its searing temperatures, including the French island of Corsica, have been blanketed with snow this week as Storm Juliette sweeps across the Mediterranean. Much of the island’s rocky terrain sitting above 800m in altitude was battered by a blizzard which had hours earlier dumped more than a dozen inches of snow on the Spanish holiday destination of Mallorca.
One man was seen struggling across a field in seemingly knee-deep snow while mothers carried their children on their backs. Though residents of Corsica are battling the blizzards and heavy rain uncharacteristic of the Mediterranean, Juliette’s impact on Mallorca was far worse with 20 inches of snow shutting roads and cutting power in dozens of towns. The Spanish holiday island was covered with snow Monday and Tuesday, and officials issued a rare red alert warning for the second day in a row as a further 15 inches is expected to fall in the next 24 hours.
Storm Juliette first hit Mallorca, known for its beautiful sandy beaches and near year-round excellent weather, on Sunday and has since brought blizzards and cold weather to the Balearic island. Spain’s meteorological agency AEMET warned the coastal regions in northern Mallorca will be hit with 55mph winds and 26ft waves. The snowstorm has also led to power cuts in dozens of towns including Valldemossa, Alaró, Vilafranca and Port d’Alcúdia.
»In the coming days, Britain could be hit by snow and ice«
↯↯↯Read More On The Topic On TDPel Media ↯↯↯