Londoners may awake to a ‘much colder conditions’ after Storm Claudia
A map shows snow could land around London this week as the country undergoes a marked five degree drop in temperatures, plunging to around 11C in London on Sunday and then dropping further to 6C by Thursday (November 20). The UK has recorded its coldest night since March as the cold snap sets in following Storm Claudia.
The Met Office predicts ice and snow are possible after what has been a spell of above-average temperatures and a new Netweather map shows a risk of snow over London on Wednesday before BBC Weather experts forecast sleet showers in the capital early on Thursday from 6am to 9am.
Today (Sunday, November 16) sees London clinging on to double figures, accompanied by grey and drizzly conditions. Climes will fall further during the week, down to a peak of 9C on Monday and 7C on Tuesday, although both days are expected to be dry.
Light rains are anticipated for Wednesday, and a map shows a risk of snow around London. The following day (Thursday) will see sleet showers and a gentle breeze as temperatures fall to 6C, the lowest of the week. Lights rains will return again on Friday, with temperatures climbing back up to 7C.
Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Dan Holley said: “As Storm Claudia retreats to the south, high pressure to the north west will drive a cold northerly flow from the Arctic across the UK. This will bring much colder conditions than of late and, whilst generally drier than recent days, there will also be a risk of wintry hazards, such as snow and ice.
“There will be widespread frosts across the UK, with temperatures dipping as low as minus 7C in places next week, and daytime temperatures staying in single figures across the country. Couple this with a brisk northerly wind, and there will be a marked wind chill. This will be a notable change in our weather after a prolonged spell of above-average temperatures.”
Temperatures highs in London across next week
- Sunday, November 16: Drizzle and a mild breeze, with a peak of 11C.
- Monday, November 17: Sunny intervals and light winds, with a peak of 9C.
- Tuesday, November 18: Mild sunshine and breeze, with a peak of 7C.
- Wednesday, November 19: Light rain and light winds, with a peak temperature of 7C.
- Thursday, November 20: Sleet showers and breeze, with a top temperature of 6C.
- Friday, November 21: Light rain and light winds, with mercury rising to 7C.
- Saturday, November 22: Mild rainfall and breeze, with a peak of 7C.
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.
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.”
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