UK weather: Met Office gives update on snow ahead of predicted cold spell in March

Cold spell could occur in second week of the coming month

The UK is set to have a cloudy start to the week with scattered light showers and some brighter breaks in northwestern areas ahead of the cold spell expected in March.

Temperatures are set to be below 10C in most areas and could come close to freezing point at night, according to the Met Office, as the weather gets colder after the milder winter witnessed early last week.

The forecaster said it will be chilly on Monday and Tuesday, with a noticeable northeasterly wind in the south and patchy frost overnight as the temperature could further dip next week. But the arrival of snow in the south of England, which was tentatively forecast for this week, is now not expected to materialise.

A cold spell in the second week of March is expected due to a phenomenon called Sudden Stratospheric Warming, also known as the “Beast from the East”, which began in mid February.

The phenomenon is “likely” to bring snow and chilly weather to the UK, the Met Office had said earlier, but the agency confirmed this week would still be normal.

The situation for next week, however, remains uncertain as there is no guarantee on the scale of impact this phenomenon could have on the UK’s weather.

Some forecasters have said temperatures could plummet to as much as -10C.

Meanwhile, residents across Wales, Ireland and England were treated to a stunning display of the Northern Lights on Sunday night, with sightings as far south as Sussex, Wiltshire and Cornwall.

The phenomenon, also known as Aurora Borealis, is a natural light display in the sky that occurs when electrically charged particles from the sun enter the Earth’s atmosphere and collide with gases like oxygen and nitrogen.

It is usually only visible in high-latitude regions and only Scotland and parts of northern England witness it when it appears in the UK.

In rare instances, however, it reaches southern regions too.

The Met Office said the lights will be visible on Monday night as well.