Blizzards look set to sweep across Britain in just days, with snow maps indicating one UK region in particular could be buried under snow. New maps  from WXCharts, generated on December 24 using Met Desk data, show most of Britain being hit by snow on January 8. Much of Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland and northern England look set to see snow on the day, the maps suggest. 

The Midlands and southern England are also to be affected by blizzards, the maps show, with snow falling as far south as Devon and Cornwall with Greater London also possibly hit. If the maps are correct this far ahead, Scotland will be the region worst affected by the snowfall.

Ross and Cromarty, as well as Inverness-shire in particular could see as much as 10.2 inches (26cm) of snow falling on January 8, one map suggests.

Sutherland could see as much as 8.2 inches (21cm) of snow falling, while areas in Aberdeeenshire could be hit by as much as 5.5 inches (14cm) of snow on the day, the map shows.

Elsewhere, the area surrounding Norwich could see as much as 3.9 inches (10cm) of snow falling, the map also suggests.

While WXCharts maps suggest snow may sweep across the country, the Met Office is more cautious with forecasting blizzards.

The Met Office long-range forecast looking at the days between January 8 and 22 read: “Whilst confidence is low, high pressure will probably sit close to the UK initially, with periods of relatively settled weather interspersed with more changeable conditions. Temperatures will likely be near or slightly below average during this time.

“Later in the period a transition to more widely changeable or unsettled conditions is possible, with a corresponding shift to near or slightly above average temperatures.” 

The Met Office previously explained forecasting snow in the UK is particularly complex due to rapidly-changing conditions. Its website read: “Small variations in temperature or wind direction can mean the difference between rain, sleet or snow. Meteorologists use high-resolution models to predict precipitation type, but these models can struggle with marginal situations where temperatures hover around freezing.

“Forecasters also consider factors such as precipitation intensity. Heavy bursts of precipitation can cool the air near the surface, increasing the chance of snow. Conversely, lighter precipitation may melt before reaching the ground. This fine balance makes snow forecasting one of the most uncertain aspects of UK weather prediction.”