Archived articles which have appeared on our homepage since May 7th 2014.
[Updated 07:15 01/02/2018]
February begins on a chilly note and computer models suggest temperatures during the first half of the month will often be below the seasonal average. There is a possibility of bitterly cold and snowy weather affecting much of the country next week.
...READ IN FULL
Thursday starts cold with wintry showers in the north and west. It has been windy overnight but temperatures have fallen low enough for frost to form in places. Today sunny spells develop but wintry showers continue in the north and west.
Temperatures range from 3C (37F) in Scotland to 7C (45F) in the south and strong winds exacerbate the chill. See the rainfall radar for the latest view.
Tonight wintry showers push into eastern coastal counties and there could still be a few laggards in the west. It will be cold with a frost in inland areas.
Tomorrow low pressure in the North Sea brings the risk of wintry showers into eastern England. Elsewhere a mostly dry is expected but cloud thickens in the west and wet weather spreads into Northern Ireland by early evening.
Overnight and through Saturday the rain moves eastwards and it could turn to snow before it fades away, especially in central and northern counties. There is the potential for significant snowfall in places but forecast details remain uncertain. The forecast chart below shows where the Arpege model expects the rain, sleet and snow to be at 12:00pm on Saturday.
Meteo France Arpege 00z, 1st February, precipitation type 12:00 GMT Sat 3rd Feb
Sunday looks mostly cold and dry but snow showers could feed into East Anglia and the south east as winds start to come from an easterly direction.
During the last 24 hours computer models have continued to suggest a high risk of very cold weather becoming established across the UK by early next week. There is uncertainty and the possibility of milder air quickly returning from the west can't be discounted. However quite a few model runs show a blocked set-up with the coldest air from the continent filtering across the southern half of the UK.
The risk of substantial snowfall is high and it could turn out to be the most wintry spell of the season in parts of the UK. However it is too early to pinpoint where snow will fall and the chance of the pattern being positioned several hundred miles further east is quite high. That would leave the UK under a less cold Atlantic influence.
By the end of the week computer models suggest temperatures will gradually to recover, although they remain below the seasonal average for most of the first half of February.
The forecast chart for Monday shows very cold air pushing in from the east and northwest. The blue shading indicates air temperatures at 1500m above sea level to be -10C or below.
GFS 00z, 1st February, pressure and 850hPa temperatures 12:00 GMT Mon 5th Feb
If you would like to join the TWO community please see how to register for the forum. People with all levels of meteorological knowledge are very welcome to apply. However if you're a meteorology (or related subject) student or recent graduate there may be an opportunity for you to earn some money next summer.
Check the latest satellite images, computer model charts and rain radar:
DWD ICON forecast charts [NEW]
EUMETSAT high resolution satellite images [NEW]
Rain and precipitation type radar
Meteo France Arpege forecast charts
Global Forecast System (GFS) forecast charts
Cold conditions are shown for much of the period. The risk of snow during the first half of February is high. View latest GEFS.
Hot and thundery summer?
Will the relentless rain relent for Easter?
Cheltenham Festival weather
A close to average spring?
Spring 2024 UK weather
Daily weather by email
14 day outlook
Monthly outlook
Seasonal outlook
Christmas weather
See the Model inventory for the full list of model charts and data