The UK is set to face more snow in January after a mild week which could lead to record temperatures on New Year’s Eve with the Met Office anticipating the mercury could rise as high as 15C
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New Years Eve weather set to be ‘exceptionally mild’
Brits have been warned to keep their winter coats to hand as there could be more snow on the way in January after a balmy News Year’s Eve.
It has been an unsettled December with storms and freezing temperatures intertwined with unusually mild weather.
And it is expected to continue over the next few weeks as the mercury is expected to rise towards in the coming days leading to possibly the hottest New Year’s Eve on record before more snow could be on the way.
The Met Office said it was officially a “white Christmas” this year even though the snow was not widespread across the country on December 25, and it looks as though the winter temperatures will return in January.
Exacta Weather forecaster James Madden said: “Further snow events are likely particularly during the first half of January.”
Maps from WXCharts also show temperatures at the start of next week will be close to freezing on Monday and Tuesday for much of England and Wales while in Scottish Highlands it could drop to -3C.
Before that though the Met Office has said that temperatures could get as high as 15C on New Year’s Eve which would beat the previous record temperature for December 31 of 14.8C set in 2011.
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Met Office Meteorologist Greg Dewhurst said: “The record is 14.8C on New Year’s Eve and that was in 2011, temperatures look like they’ll be 14 to 15C so it is possible that temperatures could be that value.”
Mr Dewhurst also said the weather throughout this week will be “on the mild side”.
He added: “We’re going to see across the whole of the country, through the rest of this week, temperatures that are above average for this time of year.
“The average temperature in the UK around this time of year should be around 7-8C. Going forward, we’re looking at highs of around 12-14C, possibly locally 15C in one or two spots, so it’s going to be well above average.”
But Mr Dewhurst warned that Britons will not be basking in unseasonable sun.
“It isn’t going to be blue skies all week,” he said.
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“There’s going to be cloud at times as well as strong winds and heavy rain, particularly across the North and the West of the UK.
“This is all being driven by low pressure systems moving across the Atlantic and bringing in the milder air and wet weather.”
He also pointed out that while there were no weather warnings in place, parts of the UK will be buttressed by gale force winds later in the week.
“Gales are possible at times in the South and the West as we move through the week,” he said.
UK forecast for the next 5 days
Today:
Many areas starting cloudy with rain or showers, some heavy. Becoming drier from the west with sunny spells, but strong winds in the south. Freezing fog patches slow to clear from northwest Scotland, else some sunshine after a frosty start.
Tonight:
Frost and patchy fog in the north. Further rain and strong winds moving northeast across much of England, Wales, Northern Ireland and later southwest Scotland. Becoming very mild in southwest.
Wednesday:
Rain continuing northeastwards, some heavy in northwest, where possibly very windy for a time. Cloud breaking across some southern, central and eastern parts, where turning brighter and very mild.
Outlook for Thursday to Saturday:
Exceptionally mild. Unsettled with spells of rain and strong winds but also some decent drier and brighter interludes. Rain heaviest and most persistent over western hills.
www.mirror.co.uk
