The UK is braced for an explosion of snow as floods wreak havoc on millions through local and national travel disruption.
Weather maps from WXCharts show a high probability of snow across the southern part of the UK from midnight tonight. London, East Anglia, and the southeast of England will see the greatest likelihood of snow in the early hours with a 40 to 80 percent chance of snow.
As the weather front moves west, the situation changes and by midday the whole of England and most of Wales will be enveloped by snow. In parts of England, there will be a near 100 percent chance of snow by midday.
By this time, the likes of Birmingham, Newcastle, and parts of Cornwall could also see some snow falling on the ground with the probability of snowflakes rising rapidly as the sun sets. By six o’clock in the evening, snow in London, Kent, and potentially Brighton could be a certainty.
Further north, Edinburgh and some towns and villages in the Scottish Highlands will see once again this winter.
In response to the incoming snow, the Met Office has put in a weather warning for a large section of southeast England lasting from 4am until 10am. They said: “Icy patches and wintry showers affecting some areas on Monday morning, leading to potentially slower journeys.”
In their forecast for Sunday evening and Monday morning, the Met Office wrote: “Some wintry showers near coastal areas and across the southeast but otherwise a dry night with variable amounts of cloud.
“Fog patches returning, most likely across Northern Ireland, Scotland and northwest England. Widespread frost and icy stretches.
“Some wintry showers near coastal areas and across the southeast but otherwise a dry night with variable amounts of cloud. Fog patches returning, most likely across Northern Ireland, Scotland and northwest England. Widespread frost and icy stretches.”
Alongside, the risk of snow, the Environment Agency has issued 171 flood warnings and 161 flood alerts.
Speaking to the Independent, flood duty manager for the agency Katharine Smith said: “Significant river flooding impacts are still expected… over the next few days across parts of the River Thames in Oxfordshire as well as the River Trent near Nottingham, and the River Severn, including Gloucester.
“The prolonged wet weather and intense rainfall has led to flooding impacts and our thoughts are with all of those affected.”
It is feared that Monday’s snowfall will exacerbate the situation once it melts and adds to swollen rivers that have burst their banks and flooded hundreds of homes.
Other experts fear this won’t be the last of the snow only mark the beginning of a January whiteout in the UK.
Speaking to GB News, Exacta Weather’s James Madden warned there might be further disruption later this month as well as next week. He said there would be “widespread and heavy snow showers across large parts of the country”.
Mr Madden added: “This will see most and if not all parts of the country getting dragged into an extended snowy regime over at least a several-day period.
“Literally anywhere will be at a much significantly higher risk of seeing some heavy and settling snow within this particular period (from parts of the far north to the far south of country, and especially down the eastern flank of the country from Scotland to southern England too).”
