Overview
- Multiple private model products, including WX Charts using GFS and ECMWF data, indicate widespread UK snowfall potential in the first week of January, with some runs moving the earliest flurries to New Year’s Day.
- Several projections show the highest accumulations in Scotland and northern England, with reports up to around 20cm in northern England and as much as 56cm in northwest Scotland.
- Some maps extend the risk to southern areas, with snow reaching into Greater London, Essex and Kent, and occasional projections also showing flurries into Devon and Cornwall.
- The Met Office long-range outlook keeps late December largely settled under high pressure before a possible turn to more changeable weather that could bring localized wintry hazards where cold air is in place.
- Forecasters highlight hazards beyond snow, including rare freezing rain and cold-related health risks, and the UKHSA has a recent yellow cold-health alert for south-west England with advice to follow official updates.