Britain is facing another major winter onslaught, as dramatic new weather maps reveal a powerful Atlantic storm is set to hit the UK with snow, heavy rain, and strong winds, leaving only a handful of counties spared. The latest ECMWF forecast chart, produced by WXCharts and valid for Tuesday, January 27, at 6 p.m., shows the storm rapidly descending from the Atlantic.
A map produced on January 19, showing instantaneous rainfall rates, clouds, temperature, and pressure, shows that large parts of the UK are covered at 6 p.m., with blue and purple stripes indicating widespread snowfall and green and yellow stripes indicating heavy rain. Parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland, northern England and the Midlands are shown under heavy snow, especially on higher ground. Wales and central and southern England, including London and the south-east, are being hit by prolonged downpours, with winter rainfall also adding to the chaos.
A second ECMWF map for 6pm on 27 January, prepared on 19 January, shows vast areas of the UK in orange and red, indicating that stronger winds are on the way. The Atlantic-facing coasts of Ireland, western Scotland and northwestern England are shown to be under the most extreme shade, with gusts in excess of 100 mph. Deep orange and red hues blanket much of England and Wales, indicating widespread gusts of 70 to 90 mph, even in inland areas.
Extreme wind gusts appear as the most dangerous feature on the map in the lower left corner, where the storm reaches extreme intensity over the Atlantic. These gusts can reach up to 110 mph; however, they are likely to lose power by the time they reach land.
They were mostly spared rain or snow.
Despite the widespread impact, the chart shows only 10 counties—concentrated in south-west England and western Wales—that were largely out of green, blue, or purple at the time, meaning they were mostly spared rain or snow.
England
- cornwall
- devon
- dorset
- topsy-turvy
- Wiltshire
- gloucestershire
wales
- pembrokeshire
- carmarthenshire
- Ceredigion
- Powys
The Met Office’s long-term forecast for the period 24 January to 2 February reads: “The UK will likely sit in the battleground between Atlantic weather systems attempting to move in from the west but will tend to stall in the vicinity of the UK as high pressure is encountered to the north and northeast.
“As such, there is a possibility of occasional rain or showers, which may be heavy and persistent, particularly in the south and west, with no dry intervals in the far north and northwest. While mild conditions will occasionally encroach on the south and west, it is likely to become somewhat colder during this period, bringing the risk of some snowfall, particularly over the hills of Scotland and northern England.
In relation to its long-range forecast, the Met Office warns, “When looking more than five days into the future, the chaotic nature of the atmosphere begins to play a larger role – small events currently occurring over the Atlantic can have a potentially significant impact on our weather in the UK and Ireland over the timescale of several days.”
