High pressure is keeping our weather steady for now, but a low pressure on Monday will upset all of that. Next week sees cold north winds and a bit of snow, no Beast from the East yet.
High pressure over the UK is keeping our weather settled, dry and as it is early January, cold too. Next week sees a big shakeup with a more wintry tinge. Cloud amounts vary today with southern Britain more likely to see brighter skies with sunshine and northern Britain and Northern Ireland keeping more cloud. There is widespread frost this morning under the clearer skies and a little fog.
Are we going to see a repeat of last winter’s snow and cold easterly?
Activity high up in the atmosphere continues in a similar path to early 2018, the SSW Sudden Stratospheric Warming is taking place. Other atmospheric drivers are lining up for a proper winter spell too, but this does not mean that a hard, cold, snowy episode is guaranteed for the UK. There are signs pointing that way and if it is going to happen, we will be able to give you several days’ notice, like last time.
So, if you could be a bit more winter prepared, or there is something (say about your boiler) that needs sorting, just get on with it. The whole bread and milk bit isn’t necessary right now.
Travel
The weather right now is okay, think what it could be like in January. It’s not windy, it’s dry. There are frosts, but widespread ice isn’t forming as it is so dry. It is worth keeping an eye out for patchy fog, which can be freezing fog and affects your windscreen.
Today
Overall winds are light. There is more of a westerly wind in the far north of Scotland creating lee breaks in the cloud for Grampian and NE England. For Wales and SW England, it is calm and still. Daytime temperatures could reach 7C around the coasts but only 2 or 3C inland.
Tonight, there will be more cloud about, but temperatures will fall away below freezing again in the south and east.
Tomorrow will be similar, a brisk SW wind for the Western Isles but light winds elsewhere. It looks dry with a good deal of cloud, more breaks for eastern Britain so some sunny spells here. The cloud will be thick enough in the west to feel damp and so colder. More of a breeze will pick up in the north by Saturday evening as a frontal band heads in from the NW. This will bring a little rain to NW Scotland during Saturday night and dampness to NW Britain. SE England will have a frost once more.
There will be a slight interruption in the far north on Sunday, as clearer air nips in. There will be sunshine for a time and a chilly NW wind and a few snow showers for the Highlands. That’s it though. The rest of the UK will encounter a band of cloud and slightly damp conditions with sunny spells into northern England and Northern Ireland but otherwise still quiet.
Next week
A low heads in bringing a spell of wet and windy weather to shake things up along with big waves and snow for the hills of northern Scotland. Gales too Monday into Tuesday. As the fronts clear there will be showers of rain, sleet and hill snow for Monday night over NW UK.
Milder air will be drawn up for a time over SW Britain on Monday but as the low pressure stumbles towards southern Scandinavia it will draw down colder air. In that N/ NW flow, it will feel very cold on Tuesday, as the large waves transfer to the east coast of the UK. As the low centre sinks over Germany, the brisk cold winds and the cold air continues for SE UK on Wednesday. Mixed in with this cold flow there will be sleet and snow flurries.
Not amounting to much, except on the Scottish mountains but still a more wintry picture for next week. Still not a Beast from the East though.
A farming look back at 2018 including the Beast from the East and the summer heat and drought.
Will it snow? 5 day location snow prob. forecast
