UK weather maps turn purple as southern half of England hammered by huge snow bomb

Southern Britain looks set for a hammering of in a few days as the country freezes in the grip of plunging temperatures.

generated by WX Charts on New Year’s Eve show snow moving up from the southwest in the early hours of Saturday (January 4). It covers much of Devon and Cornwall at 3am, spreading eastwards across south Wales, parts of the West Midlands and southern counties by 6am.

Snow is set to fall across a huge swathe of southern Britain by 9am, with Cardiff, Southampton, London and Birmingham getting a dusting, according to WX Charts. The white stuff gradually clears to the southeast across the Channel by the afternoon, with counties in the South of England seeing snow by 3pm, the maps show.

Elsewhere, much of the UK will be clear, although parts of the Scottish Highlands could see a mix of snow and rain mid-afternoon on Saturday.

Weather maps also show Brits will wake up to a chilly start, with freezing temperatures at 9am on Saturday. Aberdeen, Birmingham, London and Southampton could see 0C if the charts prove correct.

Sunday looks set to be even colder for some, with -9C in the Highlands and minimum temperatures struggling to get above 0C for many. By Monday, most of the UK will be plunged into a deep freeze, with temperatures plummeting as low as -11C in south Wales and -12C around Bristol, according to WX Charts.

The latest weather maps come as almost every part of the country is currently covered by at least one of . A yellow weather warning of heavy rain and snow is currently in force across most of Scotland from Monday into Tuesday, while an amber warning for rain is in place for an area around Inverness on Tuesday.

Stormy conditions are expected to spread to the rest of the UK on New Year’s Eve, with yellow warnings for wind and rain in place for parts of England, Northern Ireland and Wales.

Outdoor events to mark New Year’s have been cancelled due to the wintry weather, with Edinburgh’s Hogmanay axing a street party, concert, disco, and fireworks because of high winds and “inclement” weather.

Chief Meteorologist Steve Willington said on Monday: “A series of low-pressure systems will track across the UK over the next couple of days, bringing some potentially disruptive weather.

“Almost the entire UK is covered by at least one weather warning during the coming week, demonstrating that it is a complicated weather forecast at the moment.

“Although we know today and tomorrow will see heavy rain and strong winds in parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England, plus some snow in parts of Scotland, it’s Wednesday’s weather where there is less confidence.”

Met Office UK five-day weather forecast

Tuesday, December 31 – Saturday, January 4

Headline: An unsettled end to 2024, turning colder as we begin 2025.

Tuesday brings rain and some snow in Scotland, which will quickly spread to northern England before reaching the Midlands and Wales in the afternoon. It will mostly be fine before this, with brighter but showery weather sweeping behind. It will be windy, especially in the north and west.

Tonight, northern and central England and Wales will be wet. Rain, sleet, and snow will move south across Scotland, with a few showers in Northern Ireland. It will remain windy.

Much of England and Wales will experience wet and windy New Year’s Day, but Northern Ireland and Scotland will experience colder temperatures, with a mix of sunshine and wintry showers.

The outlook for Thursday to Saturday is for a widely cold but sunny few days, with wintry showers mostly confined to coastal areas. Northern parts may see patchy rain, sleet and snow moving in on Saturday.