UK faces 'catastrophic' weather this winter as it becomes 'harder to predict'

As snowfall descends connected the UK 2 days earlier than expected, 1 meteorologist has blamed clime alteration for the discrepancies successful forecasts, explaining it makes upwind events harder to predict

Cold upwind has gripped the UK contiguous arsenic thousands of Brits woke up to snowfall - contempt weather forecasts initially predicting it would autumn connected Thursday. The Met Office has issued 3 yellowish upwind alerts for snowfall and crystal covering the midlands, bluish England, parts of Northern Ireland, and northbound eastbound Wales.

With implicit 200 schools closed, galore person been near wondering if the worst of it is over. But 1 upwind adept predicts determination could beryllium "blizzards" successful a substance of days, with much "catastrophic upwind events" connected the way.

Speaking to the Mirror, Jim Dale says: "In the past 20 years, it's go a batch harder to foretell the weather." Jim, besides a clime alteration activist, says the alteration successful somesthesia is contributing to unexpected upwind events globally.

He explains: "We are starting to spot unexpected occurrences. It wouldn’t astonishment maine if we saw piles of snowfall successful the adjacent future.

"We [meteorologists] person started to origin successful these chaotic events. We request to judge a play successful quality past wherever these unexpected events and perchance catastrophic events could occur."

Jim says that portion the snowfall volition subside passim the day and evening, much could beryllium connected the mode arsenic aboriginal arsenic Saturday for parts of Scotland. He says: "The adjacent large alteration is Saturday which volition spot a frontal strategy from the southbound west.

"Wind volition prime up, the rainfall volition get and it volition beryllium rainfall for astir of the UK but wherever it meets acold air, determination could besides beryllium sleet and snow. As the aerial reaches Scotland, that’s wherever you mightiness get blizzards."

Calling today's snowfall a "rare upwind event" for this clip of year, helium says it volition apt origin icy conditions implicit the adjacent 3 days, with temperatures dropping arsenic debased arsenic -10C successful parts of the UK. "The immense bulk of the UK volition get ice," helium says.

"We could beryllium seeing -10C successful immoderate areas of the UK. Those are the temperatures we tin expect successful the glens and valleys - particularly implicit the mountains and highlands due to the fact that it's truthful cold."

Monday nighttime saw sub-zero temperatures for overmuch of the UK, reaching arsenic debased arsenic -11.2°C astatine Braemar successful Aberdeenshire. The Met Office person warned "winter hazards" volition beryllium contiguous for astir of the week.

Met Office Chief Meteorologist Neil Armstrong says: "With acold Arctic aerial firmly successful spot implicit the UK, continued wintertime hazards are apt done overmuch of this week, with further updates to warnings apt successful the coming days. The existent absorption for upcoming snowfall and crystal hazard is from aboriginal connected Tuesday and overnight into Wednesday, with snowfall showers apt moving successful disconnected windward coasts successful the northbound and east, arsenic good arsenic drifting into parts of Northern Ireland and Wales.

"In excess of 10cm of snowfall is imaginable implicit higher crushed wrong the informing areas, with 1-2cm perchance settling astatine little levels, which has the imaginable to pb to immoderate question disruption. Ice is an further hazard and is apt to signifier rapidly connected untreated surfaces."