UK temperatures appear set to plummet below zero this week as a cold front brings a renewed risk of snow to the British Isles.
Weather forecasters have predicted the arrival of another chilly system in February, with the Met Office pinpointing established cold air over much of the north.
Maps have shown that much of that chill has centred over the northeast, where temperatures are in the low single figures, around 4C.
The same maps show those lows dropping further still, with the mercury reaching the minus range in just a few short days.
By Wednesday, charts predict that most of the country will be plunged into -4C and that snow will follow.
Maps from multiple agencies show the week ahead breaking the recent settled spell as temperatures plunge below zero.
WXCharts show minimum temperatures remaining around 10C in the south until Tuesday, February 6, when a cold front descends from the north.
When the early morning arrives on Wednesday, February 7, the same maps show a massive 479-mile cold front extending from the tip of Scotland to Manchester.
Temperatures will reach their lowest in northern England, with the Yorkshire Dales seeing scattered snow and -4C, while Britons living north of the border see between -1C and -3C.
Charts from the Met Office and Windy.com predict the UK will be cold but to a lesser extent.
They show temperatures descending to 0C in Scotland and around 3C in the Midlands and northern England.
Extended-range forecasts from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) show the UK being caught in the same Arctic influence as Norway, with similarly low-temperature anomalies predicted for the countries between February 5 and 12.
The Met Office long-range forecast for February 9 to 18 states that cold air established across the northern UK will likely “extend to all parts through next weekend”.
The forecast states: “As it does so, there is a risk of some significant snowfall for parts of the UK, perhaps central areas most prone to this, but this aspect is very uncertain at this stage.
“Across the north cold throughout with snow showers tending to focus on northeastern areas while for the far south, the period may start off with some rain and near average temperatures before the cold air reaches here by the start of next week.
“Windy at times, especially so in some eastern areas where a notable wind chill is expected.
“Temperatures ranging from rather mild in the south at first, to cold, perhaps very cold in the north.”
