ARCTIC BLAST TO BRING SNOW

The topsy-turvy weather goes downhill from Monday / Daily Express

Saturday October 15,2011
By Nathan Rao
WINTER will roar in next week as a bitterly cold Arctic blast brings
snow and freezing temperatures for up to 10 days.
The forecast comes as Britain enjoys one last hurrah of summer with
unseasonably warm temperatures and sunshine expected today and
tomorrow.
But the topsy-turvy weather goes downhill from Monday with the mercury
set to plunge to below freezing bringing widespread frosts and snowfall,
experts warned last night. Two inches of snow is expected to fall in the Peak
District, Pennines and Snowdonia with dustings possible as far south as
Devon and Somerset. Fierce northerly winds, which could reach gale force
in the North-west, will make temperatures feel much colder.
Jonathan Powell, senior forecaster at Positive Weather Solutions, said:
“Next week we are looking at the first real taste of winter. It is due to cold air
being dragged in from the Arctic. We expect widespread frosts and snow in
the North which may come down as far as the Midlands.”
He said freezing temperatures on Monday would “fall away sharply” towards
the end of the week, plunging to minus 4C (25F) in parts.
“It will get worse and is certainly going to be the coldest spell of the season
so far,” he added.
The Met Office said below-average temperatures could last until the end of
the month with a second round of snow falling in the North next weekend.
It said: “Bands of rain or showers, occasionally heavy, will sweep south-east
next week, bringing much colder conditions to all parts.
“The showers will fall as snow over higher ground in the North-west, and
occasionally as far south as Snowdonia and the Pennines.
“The best of the sunshine in between showers will be in the South-east, but
winds will become strong westerly or north-westerly, with a risk of gales in
exposed north-western parts – giving a noticeable windchill.”
It couldn’t be a more different picture from the balmy summer-like weather
which brought record temperatures for October at the beginning of this
month. Thousands of Britons are expected to make the most of another
warm spell this weekend with temperatures expected to hit 64F (18C).
But forecasters warn the cold will come as a shock. Paul Michaelwaite, of
Netweather, said: “Maximum temperatures by the middle of next week could
be in single figures across much of the UK, with air frosts developing
overnight, and snow possible over the Scottish hills.
“It will feel like quite a shock to the system after so much hot weather.”
Weathermen say temperatures will continue to plunge over the next few
weeks, with warnings of another big freeze this winter. Britain is likely to be
hit by temperatures as low as minus 20C – perhaps even lower – with
widespread heavy snow as early as next month. Below-average
temperatures at the end of this month, next month and December will bring
frequent heavy flurries across the whole country.
James Madden, long-range forecaster for Exacta Weather, said: “I expect
the most frequent and heavy snowfalls to occur across many parts of the
UK during November, December, and January.
“I also expect November, December, January, and February to feature
largely below average temperatures. It is likely that temperature and
snowfall records will be broken.”
World forecasters World Climate Service said “unusual cold” and “disruptive
snow” would arrive in weeks with a mini ice age set to last for decades,
bringing bitterly cold winters.
Senior meteorologist Richard James said: “We expect another winter of
unusual cold and occasionally disruptive snow from the British Isles and
France across Germany and southern Scandinavia to the Baltic states.
“The highest likelihood of unusual cold appears to be in early to mid-winter
(late November to January), with moderating conditions possible by
February.”
He said the UK would be “dominated by cold winters” for years due to a
negative North Atlantic Oscillation, the atmospheric pressure weather
system. “There is a chance that there could be a long negative NAO phase,”
he added. “The last time we saw such a phase was in the 1950s and
1960s.”
The Local Government Association said last night councils were ready to
grit the roads to keep traffic moving.