Icy blast and snow expected to pummel UK in days, here's when it will hit

The UK has faced a lot of bad weather over the last few months, with rain and low temperatures consistently hitting the country. As well as worsening aches and pains, the cold weather has caused some disruption on the roads - and the worst day for Christmas travel has been revealed by the AA.

There has also been a lot of speculation surrounding the conditions over the festive period, and whether or not we can expect a white Christmas. Now, new weather maps show a polar blast is expected to hit the UK. Here’s what the conditions are set to look like and the updated verdict on snow at Christmas.

Expected weather conditions

We ushered December in with some extremely low temperatures at the start of the month, but the weather quickly got more mild as we got closer to Christmas, dashing hopes for a white Christmas. However, this week is expected to see temperatures plummet again - and we could have some snow fall on lower ground in northern areas.

According to the BBC, snow and high winds are expected to form blizzard conditions for northern parts of the UK on Thursday 21 December. The Met Office has issued a 24-hour yellow weather warning that will come into place at midnight on Wednesday 20 December. The temperatures are expected to get milder again heading into the weekend, but more cold weather will be on its way shortly thereafter.

White Christmas speculation

Grahame Madge, spokesperson for the Met Office, said the following about Christmas day:

We are still one week away and the broad picture is that there will be colder air coming in from the North.

Where the uncertainty plays out is how far south that [cold air] will get. Some models show it coming down as far south as the Midlands.

Indeed, weather maps from WXCharts forecast icy conditions in the north of the UK, with the mercury potentially dropping to as low as -4C. Northern England and Scotland could experience wintry showers and up to two inches of snow may fall in the Highlands. At lower levels, icy rain is expected and though southern England is not expected to see any snow or rain, temperatures will remain low at somewhere between 0C and 4C.

Read more:

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⋙ As King Charles expands his guest list for Christmas, here’s who he could be inviting

⋙ Madrid under 'black level’ alert over Christmas crowding

Sources used:

Express: Met Office gives verdict on snow bomb as UK looks set for white Christmas

Mirror: Maps show polar blast to hit UK with snow hours after Christmas - is it your region?

Met Office