THE BEAST IS BACK
What is the 2019 Beast from the East, where has it been snowing and how will it affect weather in the UK?
THE Beast from the East has returned to Britain in the last week, bringing freezing temperatures, high winds and MORE snow.
Let’s take a look at the extraordinary cold weather coming our way this winter.
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What is the Beast from the East, and where has it snowed?
Predictions that the Beast from the East would return to the UK came true in recent weeks, with temperatures falling to negative double digits and snow falling over most of the UK.
The Beast from the East is icy weather which is swept over from Russia.
In recent weeks, the return of this extreme weather has brought widespread snowfall and record-low temperatures.
Snow is primarily accumulating in the north of Scotland, the east coast of England, the south of England, and the western reaches of Wales.
The western area of Northern Ireland is also getting its fair share.
There's lying snow across the Moores of South-West England, Dartmoor, Exmoor, and the like.
There's also a large area of snow covering from Bristol across to Oxfordshire, and down towards Hampshire.
Hampshire and other southern areas seem to be suffering the most from the snow, with traffic issues and up to 15cm of snow.
The hills of Wales are also receiving a fair blanketing.
Kent, Sussex, and other areas in the south-west of England are also pretty white this morning.
East Anglia has also received a fair amount of snow, which is being reinforced with fresh showers currently.
Temperatures have plummeted to record lows of -16C in Scotland and this week the temperature across the whole of Britain has struggled to climb over 0C.
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Forecasters are fearing "Beast from the East 2" as strong winds and freezing temperatures rip through the country.
Frigid weather that swept in from over Russia was dubbed the "Beast from the East" for a month in February/March 2018.
Winds from Siberia pushed in from the east, causing the mercury to plummet - with even daytime temperatures struggling to rise above zero.
The devastating weather front brought heavy snowfall to large areas and combined with Storm Emma.
In 2019 there are also fears that the cold weather will be driven by a warming of the air over the North Pole dragging colder winds in from the east – a so-called Sudden Stratospheric Warming (SSW).
SSW was the driver for last year’s Beast from the East which brought the country to a shivering standstill at the end of winter.
Met Office meteorologist Sarah Kent said tomorrow would see "cloudy outbreaks of rain in central and southern England that will clear slowly.
"By mid-afternoon Wales and Northern England will start seeing wintry sunshine.
"On Monday night we will see cloud eventually clearing away, leaving a largely dry night for all of the UK.
"By Tuesday morning it's going to be very cold with a widespread frost with areas of freezing fog.
"Temperatures will vary quite widely between 0 and -3C, but in Scotland could dip as low as -C.
"But from Tuesday onwards it will become less cold as more Atlantic air will come in, with wind, rain and showers expected for the rest of the week."
Temperatures would be "recovering" to a more seasonal average, Ms Kent said, with highs of 11C expected tomorrow in Cardiff.
What is a polar vortex?
A polar vortex is a mass of desperately cold air that sits above the Earth’s north and south poles.
This dense, cold air is controlled by a large pocket of low pressure, which rotates in an anti-clockwise direction at the North Pole and clockwise at the South Pole.
The strength of a polar vortex varies from year to year.
When it is strong, the vortex is concentrated over the Arctic or Antarctic area.
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But when it is weak – which is more frequent – it can split into two or more freezing vortices.
The phenomenon associated with wintry weather is known as a Sudden Stratospheric Warming.
These cover a larger area and can move south to Canada, the USA and Europe, increasing the risk of air temperatures decreasing to potentially dangerous levels.
Snow brings road chaos in Scotland as temperatures plummet to -10C in parts of the country
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