CHILL OUT
UK weather – ‘Beast from the East’ to bring snow and 65mph winds before THREE-MONTH deep freeze
Brits are bracing for a long cold winter after forecasters warned of a 70 per cent chance of crashing temperatures from January to March
TEMPERATURES are set to plummet on New Year's Eve before a three-month deep freeze, according to forecasters.
The "Beast from the East" will bring snow and high winds to the UK, with a 70 per cent chance of crashing temperatures all the way through March, a Met Office forecaster said.
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As revellers welcome 2019 this week, some will be lashed by winds up to 65mph.
And people in parts of the north will have their celebrations dampened by temperatures only a shade above freezing.
Blanketing snow will be a distinct possibility as the mercury plummets, with bookies slashing odds on snowfall as early as New Year's Day.
Coral has shortened the odds on snow falling on the first day of 2019 — with Edinburgh and Glasgow on at just 6-4.
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And experts say the deep freeze could continue for months, with below average temperatures all the way to spring.
Forecaster Mark Wilson said the Contingency Planning Forecast - which is used by the government to prep for extreme weather - was predicting the first three months of the year were likely to be much frostier than normal.
And Met Office spokesman Simon Partridge said when a similar three-month forecast was issued at the start of last year, those predictions came starkly true.
He said: "Last year there was widespread snow across many parts of the UK and temperatures were well below average.
"There's a higher chance of seeing colder spells, and given that, as a result, there's a slightly higher chance of snow across the UK.
"It's far too early to say in any detail, it might be that parts of Scotland which usually get snow will get more, or you might see snow spread more widely."
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Met Office video explaining a Sudden Stratospheric Warning
ODDS-ON FOR SNOW TO FALL ON NEW YEAR'S DAY
- Edingburgh: 6-4
- Glasgow: 6-4
- Birmingham: 2-1
- Nottingham: 2-1
- Liverpool: 2-1
- Manchester: 2-1
- Leeds: 2-1
- London: 3-1
- Belfast: 3-1
- Bristol: 4-1
- Plymouth: 4-1
Source: Coral
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Ex-BBC and Met Office forecaster John Hammond of weathertrending said: "The chance of very cold and potentially snowy weather is real and ominous.
"There is the potential for significant snowfall from January 7, with odds stacked towards cold weather by January 14.
"There is potential for severe wintry conditions from the [Sudden Stratospheric Warming], with bitter easterlies.
";We will see a more prolonged spell of cold weather than so far this winter."
Beast from the East - Video montage shows how snow hit the UK in winter 2017
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To make New Year's Eve even drabber, Sunday will bring patches of rain and drizzle, particularly in the West.
There will also be rain in the North of Scotland as brighter spells and gusty winds blow through the North of England.
And the unseasonably warm highs of low double-figure temperatures will continue on Sunday.
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