UK weather maps turn purple as wall of snow length of Britain to hit in -8C blast

The UK is set for more wintry conditions in February and maps indicate that large areas of the country will see snow flurries as temperatures drop as low as -8C

Weather maps show a wall of snow set to sweep across the UK in mid-February as a -8C Arctic blast strikes.

The UK has been battered by freezing conditions and ferocious storms this month but looking ahead to February there appears to be no let up with more wintry conditions.

It has been a fairly chilly week and it could again drop below freezing on Friday night while temperatures during the day will be in single figures over the weekend. But by mid February it will turn notably more wintry according to maps from WXCharts which show a band of snow covering the UK at midday on February 12.

The purple clouds run down from Scotland where the snow is expected to be deepest around 13 centimetres in central areas and there are also set to be flurries across north west England Wales and the Midlands. The map indicates there could be freezing rain in north Wales.

And it will also be cold with a low of -6C in western Scotland and across the country there will be subzero temperatures. Maps show the mercury falling to -2C in north western England, northern Wales and -1C in the south east of England.

The cold snap will continue as well with temperatures of -8C in Scotland on February 13 and there is plenty more snow with 22 centimetres set to fall on February 14. The Met Office predicts for February 4-13 that there are likely to be colder spells in between weather systems.

It states: "Periods of wet weather are likely to affect northwestern parts of the UK at times, particularly early in this period. Some heavy rain is possible and this is likely to be accompanied by spells of strong winds. South of this, across the rest of the UK, it is likely to be more settled and whilst some rain can't be ruled out at times, there is likely to be plenty of dry weather through this period.

"Winds will be lighter and this will bring the risk of overnight frost and fog. Overall, temperatures will be close to normal for most, but it is likely to be mild at times in the northwest. Brief colder spells are likely here in between weather systems though."

And then the outlook for the rest of February is fairly similar as the national weather agency predicts from February 14-28: "There are signs that there may be somewhat of a northwest-southeast split to the UK's weather through this period. The north or northwest is likely to bear the brunt of wet and windy spells, whilst towards the south or southeast, it may be drier and more settled.

"Some rain is still likely at times here though, as are brief drier spells further north. Temperatures will probably be close to average overall, but some milder spells are likely, especially in the north. Brief colder spells are likely in between weather systems though, and the south is likely to be at greatest risk of seeing some overnight frost and fog."