Winter is not over yet as forecasters warn there could be plummeting temperatures again over the Easter weekend.
UK weather maps show Britain is set to be engulfed in snow once again as arctic blasts plunge temperatures over the Easter weekend – threatening to make it one of the coldest Easters on record.
The next bout of snow is set to strike Britain again on Friday 30 March – with the worst of the weather set to hit Scotland and the north of England, according to a shock graph from WXCHARTS.
Met Office has revealed there are signs of a second Sudden Stratospheric Warming (SSW) of the air high in the atmosphere over the Arctic.
Getty•WXCHARTS
When you get a SSW event, it often means you can get more than one/two/three bouts of cold weather
The first of the SSW was seen in February when Britain was plagued with snow and bitterly cold temperatures as the Beast from the East made its way to the UK.
Britain could be facing the coldest Easter on record if temperatures drop below the -12.5C (-12.5F) recorded at Braemar, Scotland in March 2013.
BBC Weather meteorologist Simon King joked on Twitter: “Who likes trilogies? When you get a sudden stratospheric warming event like we saw in Jan, it often means you can get more than one/two/three bouts of colder weather. #BeastFromTheEast to be continued….?”
Met Office forecaster Martin Bowles said: “There are signs that there will be an extra bit of Sudden Stratospheric Warming (SSW) and while it is still early to say with any certainty, we could end up with some below-average temperatures at the end of March.
“A colder Easter does link in with this warming patterning being observed now, but it is very uncertain how things will pan out.
“With Easter falling slightly early this year, there is a greater chance that it will be colder as a result of this.
“Broadly speaking we are looking at below-average temperatures.”
The Met Office’s longer-term weather forecast also reads: “There remains some uncertainty in the forecast for the Easter Weekend, but we are likely to see slow-moving weather systems across the UK, with wetter weather more probable in the south. and with drier, colder conditions in the north albeit with a risk of snow at times.”
Some forecasters have warned that Britain could remain trapped in the cold snap up until the second half of April.
The bitterly cold Siberian winds have already caused chaos throughout the country in March.
As a result of Saturday’s snow covering, the Met Office has issued a “be aware” weather warning for ice. The warning states: “Ice is likely to form on some untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths.
“This increases the risk of accidents, as well as injuries from slips and falls.”