The snowy front will begin moving across the UK on December 23 (Image: WXCharts)
Counties along the UK’s northwestern coast could be in for a flurry of in the days leading up to .
New maps from WXCharts show the cloaking almost all of Scotland and western coastal parts of England and Wales on Monday, December 23 – raising the probability of a traditionally picturesque Christmas Day, though bringing with it all the usual disruption.
All of Scotland apart from areas near Wick in the far north will be covered in by 6am on December 23, according to the forecaster.
Unsurprisingly, the heaviest snowfall will be in the Scottish Highlands and eastern areas including Fort William, where depths could reach 20cm, with the mercury dropping to a minimum of -10C.
The icy front is also expected to move across the UK into Carlisle, Liverpool and Sheffield, stretching along the coastline all the way down to Plymouth in Devon.
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Southern areas are unlikely to be hit by the Arctic front (Image: WXCharts)
Early next Monday morning, large parts of Northern Ireland will also see a barrage of cooler wintry weather, with snow depths of around 1cm accumulating along the east and southern coast including in Dublin and Cork.
However, England’s dose of the Arctic blast could begin to dissipate as soon as Monday evening, with snow continuing to build to depths of around 25cm in the Scottish Highlands but melt away in areas around Newcastle and Manchester.
And it’s unlikely that southern areas around London and Southampton will see any snow next week – though thankfully they are also forecast to be spared from rain storms set to sweep through Devon and the west coast of Wales.
The ’s long-range forecast for December 15 to December 24 predicts an unsettled climate with rain and blustery showers with “wintry” spells in the northwest.
Temperatures are expected to “oscillate between colder and milder interludes”, according to the forecaster.
The deepest snow is forecast for the Scottish Highlands (Image: WXCharts)
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Temperatures are set to plummet further (Image: WXCharts)
Met Office’s five day weather forecast:
Today:
Generally dry with occasional showers in the southeast. Cloudy across the UK, with a frosty start in Scotland and some freezing fog.
Tonight:
Remaining cloudy with some drizzle in the east. Clear spells for most of the country with frost developing overnight.
Thursday:
Cloudy with light rainfall in eastern regions and low clouds causing some hill fog. Temperatures expected to drop across the UK, though accompanied by sunny spells in the west and across Scotland.
Outlook for Friday to Sunday:
High pressure bringing sunny spells throughout the country alongside chilly temperatures and overnight frosty and fog. Patchy rain expected across the north over the weekend.