When will snow hit the UK and how long will it last?

Amber weather warnings for snow have come into force for parts of northern England and Wales. Thousands of people have been warned of travel disruption

Weather forecasters have issued warnings for Thursday with widespread snow and rain forecast across large parts of the country.

Amber weather warnings for snow have been issued for parts of northern England and North Wales, while a mixture of yellow rain and snow warnings will be in force across the four nations.

How long is the snow forecasted for? 

A cold, frosty and, for some, icy night ahead.

We’ve got rain moving into southern Britain later tonight and moving gradually northwards through Thursday. 

Many areas of England and Wales will have a very wet start with several hours of steady rathe rain, that will clash with cold air and turn to a wintry mix of freezing rain, sleet and snow - mostly across Wales, northern England and the Midlands. 

Expect the steadiest snow to be falling across higher ground in these areas - notably the Welsh mountains and the Pennines. There’ll be snow blowing across the higher routes with a brisk, bitter easterly wind. With the snow there’ll be the risk of challenging conditions for those having to travel. 

The snow risk will last around 12 hours at most, it’s very transient, for the majority it’s a brief snowy, wintry spell. Much of the snow will turn to sleet then rain within a few hours. 

Why is there a cold snap? Where is it coming from?

Cold, Arctic air sunk from the north to all areas by the end of last night. Temperatures are much lower than we’ve been used to so far this month - but nothing unusual for the time of year. 

We’re statistically more likely to see snow in January and February than any other months of the year.  

This cold snap is relatively short lived as gradually we’ll see less cold - for many milder - air return later in the week. 

What are the areas most impacted? 

The areas most impacted by snow will be higher ground of northern England, the Midlands and Wales.

Most notably mountains of north Wales and parts of the Pennines, where amber weather warnings remain in place. The east facing slopes of these areas will see the most snow. 

Across higher routes the brisk easterly winds will mean blowing snow bringing a risk of challenging, disruptive travel for a time. 

The snow will turn readily to sleet and rain by the end of Thursday afternoon for these areas. 

Do we know when it will become warmer again? 

I wouldn’t use the term “warm” this time of year but less cold or relatively milder air returns later in the week and any snow will melt. 

As temperatures recover and with more rain forecast to move from south to north, there will be more standing water. 

Together, with saturated ground, this will bring the risk of flooding in the most prone areas, particularly across southern Britain. 

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