Dramatic weather maps have predicted the UK will be battered by a vicious wall of rain just days after a snow-laden deep freeze settles over the country.
Late November and early December are tipped to be bitterly cold, with a cold snap arriving from the east prompting a selection of snow and ice warnings across northern England and Scotland for three straight days.
Once the ice and snow hazards subside, maps show Britain returning to the damp conditions of late October and early November, with waves of rain on the horizon.
Weather maps show the UK being engulfed in a wall of water arriving from the west, across the Atlantic Ocean, from early December.
The rain is expected to arrive powered by gale-force winds and won’t mark the end of the recent chilly run, and temperatures remain desperately low in some parts of the country.
Maps from WXCharts show snow will settle over the UK during the first week of December following several days of sustained snowfall starting on Wednesday, November 29.
Much of the coming snow will be diluted by rainfall for much of the week, primarily descending in limited showers until November 6, when snow charts show settled totals of 1cm and below widely.
The same maps show the rain intensifying after November 7, with showers surging from the southwest via the Republic of Ireland early in the morning, at around 6am.
Over the following 18 hours, the showers will stick to England and Wales, where they will tip out up to 5mm of rain per hour, WXCharts suggests.
Rainfall could hit hard and fast, with winds expected to pick up around the same time.
Wind speeds could reach between 38 and 55mph, between gale-force and severe gale-force level, the maps show, potentially driving the rain faster and harder than expected.
The increased rainfall doesn’t seem to be associated with a rise in the mercury as it might be usually, with temperatures sticking between 0C and 7C in some of the hardest-hit areas.
The Met Office has predicted “wintry showers” in its long-range weather forecast, which covers December 2 to 11.
The forecast states: “Through Sunday (December 3) and Monday (December 4), further wintry showers are likely across some northern areas.
“Further south, some rain and perhaps hill snow may spread across from the west for a time.
“Over the remainder of this forecast period, it will likely remain rather cold at first with further wintry showers in places, especially in the east.”
