After an incredibly mild start to November, London temperatures are forecast to change considerably so very soon it will be time to dig the old winter coats, gloves and hats out from the back of the wardrobe
A new London weather map has given the exact date when London could get its first snowfall for this winter. The BBC weather experts have also weighed in with their verdict on the possibility of imminent snowfall in the capital.
WX Charts forecasts snow could fall over London on Thursday, November 20 during the early hours of the morning. The map indicates snow is also set to hit other areas of the UK, such as the East coast, parts of Northern Ireland and Scotland.
The BBC agrees there is likely to be a frosty start to Thursday in its latest London weather forecast.. It has predicted sleet to fall over London throughout the early hours of the morning, from 6am to 9am, with temperatures as low as 2C.
Things will start to improve throughout the day as the sun begins to shine at around 12pm, although temperatures aren’t forecast to reach any higher than 5C. The latest snow news is part of a general dip in London weather as temperatures drop and rain begins to fall more frequently.
What is sleet?
Sleet is a type of solid precipitation which occurs during the winter time. It is generally described as a mixture of both rain and snow, where both raindrops and snowflakes fall from the sky at the same time.
Forecasting snow can be tricky because even small variations in temperature through the atmosphere can mean the difference between precipitation falling from the cloud as rain, or quickly turning to sleet or snow.
Full BBC London Weather forecast
Thursday, November 13 – drizzle and light winds, 16C
Friday, November 14 – heavy rain and a gentle breeze, 14C
Saturday, November 15 – light rain and light winds, 13C
Sunday, November 16 – light rain and a gentle breeze, 11C
Monday, November 17 – sunny and a gentle breeze, 8C
Tuesday, November 18 – drizzle and light winds, 6C
Wednesday, November 19 – light rain and light winds, 7C
Thursday, November 20 – sleet and light winds, 6C
Friday, November 21 – light rain and light winds, 7C
Saturday, November 22 – light rain and light winds, 8C
Sunday, November 23 – light rain and light winds, 9C
Weather expert explains why forecasting snow for London is so difficult
In London snow is less likely to fall than in areas further north. But what some people may have noticed is that while you didn’t even get a dusting of snow in you street, neighbours just minutes away cars covered in the white stuff.
It turns out there’s quite a simple reason for this oddity. It’s all because temperatures are much warmer at ground level than they are even just 25 metres up in the air, meaning we might see rain when seconds ago the precipitation was snow.
Local weather expert Ian Currie told MyLondon: “Snow is very dependant on the height of where you are. For every 50 feet, 15 metres or so, you get higher up there is an increased likelihood of an extra day of snow. So if you take parts of South Croydon for example, Sanderstead and Selsdon, you are likely to get 10 more days of snow a year there than parts in the north of Croydon.
“It can change that much in a small distance. Again out by Biggin Hill there is much more chance of getting snow than Streatham or Tooting for example.”
This is why it’s so difficult to forecast snow accurately – just a few degrees difference in temperature will make the difference between us seeing snow or rain. Mr Currie added: “We’re talking about very dynamic, complex systems. A weather front could be thousands and thousands of miles away, but if it arrives just a little bit off the predicted path, the weather can be totally different.
“Snow is very hard to predict because in this country we’re so close to that critical point where the temperature drops enough for precipitation to fall as snow. In Sweden, you could safely predict that a weather front would bring snow, but here just a change of a couple of degrees could make the difference.”
Got a story? Please get in touch at [email protected]
Looking for more from MyLondon? Subscribe to our daily newsletters here for the latest and greatest updates from across London.
