Will It Snow In The UK Soon? Here's What We Know So Far

2026 began with Storm Goretti, a “multi-hazard event” which brought with it snowy, windy conditions – the strongest gusts reached 99 miles per hour (mph).

But there’s been talk of new snowfall hitting our shores soon thanks to another “beast from the East”. 

Here’s what we know so far: 

Will snow hit the UK soon? 

This week, “a spell of strong winds and heavy rain is expected to affect southwest England and parts of Wales during Tuesday [January 20],” the Met Office’s chief forecaster, Paul Gunderson, said. 

Wind speeds could reach 65mph in the most exposed parts of the UK. 

But colder climes won’t hit until Thursday 22 January and Friday 23 January, when “rain will also turn increasingly to snow on high ground”. 

Next week, however, will see a typical battle between the cold-but-dry easterly wind and the wet-but-warm westerly wind, which can make predicting snow in the UK so difficult. 

The Met Office thinks this will likely lead to snow and sleet in the north-east of the country. 

But aside from that, the organisation’s deputy chief forecaster, Steven Keates, said: “While it does look increasingly likely that conditions will turn more widely colder into next week, the timing and extent of this colder air remains uncertain.

“There are variations between the different weather models, and although a few show very low temperature values, this is currently the minority. The majority indicate below-average temperatures from the east, but nothing too extreme at the moment.”

A space storm has also affected the UK

Potential snow and ice aside, the Met Office said that a coronal mass ejection (CME), or a highly charged sunburst, led to Aurora lights last night (19 January) and this morning (20 January). 

“The effects of the CME may linger into Tuesday night, with aurora sightings possible across Scotland, perhaps also Northern Ireland and northern England, where skies are clear,” the Met Office’s space weather officer, Krista Hammond, said.

“This is likely to wane further by Wednesday night, perhaps with some glimpses possible from the far north of Scotland.”

Last night, many across the UK reported seeing unusually brilliant red and green lights from Scotland to as far south as Devon.