Colder air is feeding from the north across many parts of the UK over the next few days. This brings the potential for wintry showers across North Sea coastal areas as well as some inland parts of northern Britain. These may bring some snow and ice impacts in the coming days.

Towards the end of the week there is a possibility of snow across parts of the south, but this is far from certain. David Oliver, a Met Office deputy chief meteorologist, explains: “After some rain on Monday, conditions will turn mainly dry in the south for a time before a very uncertain period on Thursday and Friday for the southern half of England and Wales. The weather models are highlighting several possible solutions from very wet to mainly dry, with a mainly dry picture the most probable outcome at present.

“However, some models include the prospect of an area of low pressure developing and moving in from the south or southwest. If this solution proves to be correct, we could see an area of warmer and moisture-laden air ‘bumping’ into the cold air further north. Along the boundary of the two air masses lies a zone across southern and central Britain where snowfall could develop fairly widely.

“Snow in any affected area is unlikely to be anything more than transient and short-lived, but it could lead to small totals and some disruption over a few hours before melting.”

The UKHSA has issued a yellow cold-health alert for the health sector covering northern regions of England which runs through the whole week.  

Snowfall in late autumn or early winter doesn’t generally linger – especially in southern Britain - because ground temperatures broadly remain relatively high after the summer, especially compared with values in late winter, after the ground loses more of its warmth.

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