No one got a White Christmas in the UK this year, but things are expected to be different for New Year’s Day tomorrow. Snow is expected for large swathes of the UK on Wednesday and if you’re heading north or west, or even down to Sussex or Cornwall, you could be in for some very wintry showers.
Using data from Open Weather, our Snow Map below shows which parts of the country can expect some degree of snowfall over the course of the next week. The heaviest snowfall will likely be in the North of England.
Weather stations in Cumbria, County Down, Merseyside, Northumbria and Sunderland are forecasting severe snow on Wednesday, January 1. Meanwhile, stations in areas such as Anglesey, Glasgow, Dumfries and Rhyl are forecast to receive heavy snow.
READ MORE: Met Office issues weather warning for Leicestershire with power cuts possible
Rain is also forecast for some areas, though, which will reduce the likelihood of the snow hanging around for long. The snow will spread down the country on Thursday, January 2, with light snow forecast in the far south.
Here in Leicestershire, there is a yellow warning for wind from the Met Office, but snow seems very unlikely. The New Year here is expected to be wet and windy – but not white.
See the interactive map below for more information on where and when the show is expected:
The unsettled start to 2025 has led to the cancelation of New Year celebrations in Scotland and is expected to cause further travel disruption following last week’s fog. Almost every part of the country is covered by at least one of the multiple weather warnings that have been issued by the Met Office between yesterday (Monday) and Thursday.
In Scotland up to 20cm of snow may blanket areas of higher ground while strong winds have the potential to “exacerbate impacts”, creating “blizzard conditions” which could freeze powerlines. Another warning has been issued for “persistent snow” likely to cause road disruption in Orkney and Shetland from 5am onwards on Tuesday.
Senior Met Office forecaster Craig Snell said: “The main bit of advice from the Met Office over the coming days is, with the celebrations and people on the move throughout the new year and Hogmanay period, is to keep checking the forecast and to stay up to date with that.”
Those with travel plans should allow extra time for journeys and keep updated with flood alerts and warnings, Mr Snell said. “With the multiple hazards going on across the UK, I think we can probably expect some travel delays right across the UK,” he added.
Very strong winds of up to 60mph are forecast across the whole of England and Wales all day Wednesday and into Thursday morning, with gusts of 75mph likely around coastal areas and hills, according to the Met Office.
The alert for wind affecting Leicestershire is in place from 12.15am until 3pm on Wednesday. The Met Office said residents should prepare by checking for loose items outside their homes and planning how to secure them.
Temperatures on New Year’s Day are expected to be around 5C in Leicester, with heavy rain throughout the morning. Thursday will be a very different day, with bright sunshine but temperatures unlikely to get above 2C.