Winter arrives in Britain this week Cold weather looks set to develop during the next few days, bringing an increasing risk of frost and snow to much of Britain. The cold spell is likely to last for a week or longer, and some significant falls of snow are possible. Brian Gaze of TheWeatherOutlook said, “A spell of wintry weather will develop during the days ahead, with showers turning increasingly to snow during the middle part of the coming week. Temperatures will continue to fall, and I expect it to become bitterly cold with daytime temperatures even in southern regions struggling to rise above 0C by next weekend, and in the north it may remain below freezing. Parts of Scotland and the north east of England may see a few inches of snow during Wednesday and Thursday, and as we head through the second half of the week the snow risk is likely to extend further south and west, with the possibility of more persistent spells of sleet and snow pushing down from the north east to give significant accumulations. The heaviest falls of snow currently look like being in the north and east, and I’d not be surprised to see accumulations of 6 inches locally, especially over higher ground. By next weekend even London may have seen some snow, and accumulations of a few inches across higher parts of the south east such as the Chilterns are a distinct possibility. At the moment there is no clear sign of a breakdown, and I expect the cold weather to persist into the following week with an ongoing risk of sleet or snow at times, and sharp or severe overnight frosts, with temperatures falling down to -10C. If milder air does try to push back in from Atlantic, this could lead to heavy sleet or snow, with Ireland and western regions seeing the worst conditions.”Issued 22/11/2010