The Met Office has announced when widespread snow will return to the UK after a -16C cold snap this week. After a brutally cold start to the calendar year after Christmas, the UK has faced its coldest night in over a decade this week.
A temperature of -16C would be the lowest recorded in January in the UK for 15 years, since -22.3C was logged in Altnaharra in the Scottish Highlands on January 8, 2010. Now, the Met Office says snow could hit on Friday, January 10.
In the early hours of Friday, a front arriving from the west will encounter the cold air in place over the UK. This could bring further sleet or snowfall for some regions in the south and west, as well as a risk of ice for a time as it moves north-eastwards into central parts, but the extent of this is still uncertain.
READ MORE All parts of England, Scotland, Wales which face snow on Thursday according to Met Office
The Met Office outlook from January 9 to January 13 adds: “Sunny spells and wintry showers. Cold.” Looking to Thursday (January 9), the Met Office said: “Thursday will be another cold day with icy stretches to start and a few freezing fog patches may be slow to clear.
“There will be plenty of sunny spells with further wintry showers possible in the north and west.” Of tonight, it goes on to state: “Another cold night to come with a widespread severe frost and ice forming in places. Wintry showers continue in the north and west, but generally dry elsewhere with clear skies.”
The Friday (January 10) prediction goes on to say: “A cold start to Friday with sunny spells and the odd wintry shower in the north and west. Cloudier in the southwest with outbreaks of rain, sleet and hill snow.” The outlook for Saturday to Monday (January 11 to January 13) adds: “Slowly turning less cold from the northwest over the weekend.
“Cloudy at times in the west and northwest with rain and hill snow, but staying drier elsewhere.”