The UK is on track for another burst of bitter, downtime rainfall, with new UK rainfall maps showing a fresh Arctic bite sweeping across the country.
Foretellers say a significant drop in temperatures will arrive by Tuesday, 25 November, raising concerns about ice, frost, and trip dislocation as the cold snap sets in.
New maps from WXCharts and Netweather, released on Friday (21 November), paint a wintry picture for much of the UK.
Maps turn icy blue as sub-zero temperatures spread south from Scotland, suggesting that the next few days could feel particularly raw for many households already battling winter’s early arrival.
Scottish Highlands Take the Biggest Hit
According to Netweather’s latest temperature chart, the Scottish mounds will face the harshest conditions coming week.
By noon on Tuesday, the Highlands could plunge to around –6C, with the nearest major megacity, Inverness, anticipated to hit lows of –4C to –5C.
Other Scottish cities are also braced for a proper chill:
- Aberdeen: around –2C
- Dundee: roughly –1C
- Glasgow: close to freezing at 0C
- Edinburgh: slightly milder at around 1C
It’s the kind of rainfall that reminds everyone that downtime has truly arrived, with icy pavements and frosty windscreens nearly guaranteed.
Cold Reaches Wales and Northern England
Moving further south, the corridor of Wales will also feel the icy blast. The Snowdonia region is anticipated to dip to – 1C to – 2C, with nearby areas such as Bangor, Newtown, Wrexham, and St Asaph all prognosticated to fall between – 1C and 1C.
Metropolises along the south seacoast of Wales, including Cardiff and Swansea, look set to escape the worst of the snap, holding on to milder air with temperatures between 5C and 7C.
In England, the coldest patch stretches through the Pennines, Midlands, and corridor of the North, where numerous areas will see lows between – 1C and 1C. Cities likely to feel the chill include:
- Sheffield: 0 to –1C
- Leeds: around 1C
- Stoke-on-Trent: 1–2C
- Manchester: about 1–2C
- Birmingham: 1–2C
- Nottingham & Derby: 1–2C
Meanwhile, southern England, including London and the South Coast, should witness much gentler conditions, ranging from 7C to 12C.
Arctic Air Mass Confirmed by WXCharts
A WXCharts upper-air temperature chart for 25 November shows a deep premium of Arctic air moving in from the north, with temperatures at the 850hPa position (around one afar above the ground) dropping to a stunning – 8C.
This type of map is used by meteorologists to identify large-scale air masses, and the strong dark-blue signals on the chart make it veritably athwart a proper cold spell is on its way.
Coldest UK Cities on 25 November
- Inverness: –4 to –5C
- Aberdeen: –2C
- Dundee: –1C
- Newtown: –1C
- Glasgow: 0C
- Bangor: 0–1C
- Sheffield: 0–1C
- Wrexham: 0–1C
- Edinburgh: 1C
- Leeds: 1C
- Stoke-on-Trent: 1–2C
- Birmingham: 1–2C
- Nottingham: 1–2C
Met Office Warns of Snow, Ice and Travel Disruption
The Met Office has already extended its snow and ice warnings, with alerts covering parts of the UK into Friday. A cold northerly flow continues to bring wintry showers, sleet, and icy patches across the country.
Chief Forecaster Steve Willington said: “We’re still in the grip of a cold, Arctic air mass today and into Friday, and that means further wintry showers for some, and ice, particularly overnight.
Multiple warnings are currently in place, with new warnings for the overnight period issued. Temperatures will fall sharply again tonight, with lows potentially reaching -12C in rural parts of Scotland and widely below freezing elsewhere.
As temperatures fall overnight, ice will form on untreated surfaces and may cause some travel disruption tonight and into Friday morning.”
In simple terms, it’s about to get veritably cold. Commuters should keep an eye on original trip updates, check roads for ice, and allow redundant time for frosty morning thresholds.
With another Arctic blast settling in, keeping the heating ticking over and belting up warm will be essential.
The coming days are anticipated to remain unsettled, and foretellers say further downtime rainfall could follow as December approaches.
