Met Office issues fresh UK snow forecast with Brits set to freeze in December

Many areas of the UK have experienced snow this week and according to the Met Office's latest weather forecast, more could be on the way in the build up to Christmas

Brits could be set for even more snow in the coming weeks, with the Met Office releasing its latest weather forecast for early December.

With snowy conditions causing chaos in parts of Scotland, England and Wales on Tuesday, the new forecast covers the period from December 4 to December 18 and predicts a cold lead up to Christmas. While the start of December may be largely settled, some areas will experience lots of rain and high winds, with a "risk of some snow".

In its latest long range weather forecast, the Met Office say: "The start of this period looks like being largely settled, with high pressure close to if not over the UK. However. there is also a chance of more changeable weather patterns, which would see Atlantic weather systems periodically move across the country.

"These will bring some wetter and windier interludes with a risk of some snow, especially for hills in the north. These conditions look more likely to dominate towards the middle of December. Temperatures generally close to average through the period."

While the conditions may feel chilly, particularly during clear nights, there is no indication yet of widespread or severe cold snaps. The Met Office’s outlook suggests that residents across the UK should prepare for a mix of calm and unsettled weather. Those in northern regions, particularly higher-altitude areas, should be mindful of the potential for snow and challenging travel conditions.

It comes after much of the UK experienced sub-zero temperatures for parts of Monday and Tuesday, while Wednesday could be even colder. Met Office spokesperson Stephen Dixon said temperatures could drop to -12C in rural parts of Scotland and -7C in rural parts of Wales on Wednesday night.

Mr Dixon told the PA news agency: “We’ve had a fairly mild November so far. So it’ll feel like that first taste of winter for many with that snow and ice risk layered on top.”

He added: “The highest accumulations are likely over the mountains in Scotland, where over higher ground you could see around 20cm of snow through this week accumulating on the ground. They are not necessarily the most disruptive snowfalls, but it only takes a couple of centimetres on lower ground to cause some level of travel disruption.”

Snowfall was widely reported across the UK on Tuesday, with 12cm of lying snow recorded at Watnall, Nottinghamshire on Tuesday morning as an Arctic airmass influenced the UK’s weather. Thousands of train passengers suffered disruption due to the weather while more than 200 school closures had been reported by Tuesday afternoon.

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for snow and ice along the east coast of Scotland and England from Berwickshire to Suffolk from 6pm on Tuesday to midday on Wednesday. A yellow warning for snow and ice has also been issued for Northern Ireland from 6pm on Tuesday to 10am on Wednesday, with a separate warning also in place across most of Wales and parts of the West Midlands until 10am on Wednesday. There are also snow and ice warnings in place covering the north of Scotland until 10am on Wednesday and parts of western Scotland from 7pm on Tuesday to 10am on Wednesday.