UK to feel ‘distinctly wintery’ as Scandinavian cold air mass descends over Britain

According to the Met Office “temperatures are struggling to reach average June values and it’s especially chilly in the northwest”.

Weather maps from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts suggest atmospheric temperatures will become very cold as freezing winds flowing counter-clockwise around a low-pressure zone currently over Norway and Sweden will send temperatures plunging.

Writing on Twitter today, one amateur forecaster said the weather outlook for the coming week was “bonkers” as maps show -5C temperatures at 850hPa in parts of northern Scotland.

These temperatures, although at extremely high altitudes, can give a reasonable chance of snow, according to Netweather, but the forecaster caveats by saying that it depends on the airmass.

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The amateur UK forecaster wrote on X: “European model is forecasting an exceptionally cold northerly flow in northern UK early next week.

“-5C at 850hPa in far north of Scotland on Tuesday, June 11, that is bonkers.

“Snow showers might not just be confined to high mountains.

“I’ve never seen such a cold air mass modelled in June it is distinctly wintry.”

Global Forecast System (GFS) maps appear to agree with the forecaster as minimum temperatures look set to be barely above 0C in northern Scotland and will remain in single digits as far south as London on Sunday night.

According to the maps, these temperatures are set to be standard throughout the week.

When asked about the cold mass of air, the Met Office told GB News: “Temperatures will remain on the cool side of average for much of the week.

“Overnight temperatures dropping into mid to low signals, with some isolated spots cold enough for a touch of grass frost in some sheltered locations.”

Overnight on Saturday, the Met Office warned some rural spots could drop to single digits.

According to the Met Office forecast, given on Saturday: “We hold on to mixed weather conditions across the UK over the next few days.

“Some sunshine, some showers and chilly temperatures too for the time of year.

“Low pressure sitting towards the North East of the UK, high pressure out towards the west that’s generating that northerly flow with weather fronts embedded in the flow enhancing showers at times.

“So looking at the detail for this evening and through the overnight period, we’ll hold on to showers towards the north and northwest of the UK, merging later to give some longer spells of rain, particularly across parts of Northern Ireland and the southwest of Scotland by Sunday morning.

“Quite blustery here too, but with the cloud rain and the wind here, temperatures do hold up.

“Whereas further south it’s becoming clear and with all those temperatures in towns, the city is holding up near double figures.

“It will turn quite chilly in rural spots. We can see a touch of grass frost in fact by Sunday morning with temperatures in rural spots here locally down into low single figures.”

Continuing the forecast for Sunday, the Met Office says many parts of the UK will feel “quite chilly” but will gradually climb throughout the morning.

The national forecaster added: “As for the start of next week, well, a case of sunshine and showers once again and temperatures still disappointing for the time of year.”

A Met Office spokesperson told GB News that although the cool conditions will affect much of the country, “we are a few weeks from high summer when the sun is at its strongest, it will still feel pleasant in sunshine, especially where winds fall light.”