Rare polar vortex collapse threatens to replace UK’s sunshine with frost and snow
The UK has recorded the warmest day of the year so far, the Met Office has confirmed, with a high of 19.7C recorded in Lancashire.
But the sunny skies and warm temperatures may not last much longer – colder weather and spells of rain are expected to move across the United Kingdom this week.
There’s also an 80% chance that a polar vortex could collapse later this month, forecasters said, bringing wintry conditions.
Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist Chris Bulmer said: ‘A frontal zone will move south across the UK during Sunday night and Monday with much colder air following from the north.
‘With these cold northeasterly winds, we are likely to see some wintry showers across the north and the east of the UK next week, but any accumulations of snow are likely to be largely restricted to hills.
‘We’ll also see a return to overnight frosts in many areas.’
Last month, a polar vortex which dealt the most brutal winter to much of the US in recent years broke down, unleashing wintry conditions.
A polar vortex is a ‘large area of low pressure and cold air surrounding both of the Earth’s poles’ that ‘ALWAYS exists near the poles, but weakens in summer and strengthens in winter’, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The Met added: ‘While there is uncertainty in the extent of rain and wintry showers through the middle of next week, there is higher confidence that below average temperatures will continue through the week, bringing a very different feel to the mild weather over the weekend.’
It’s unclear if the vortex will actually collapse and bring further miserable weather to the British Isles, but if it does, it won’t be until halfway through the month.
This coming week, temperatures will drop below average after a pleasant weekend, with London seeing lows of 0C.
There’s also a chance of scattered showers in the middle of the week.
The Met Office previously said an ‘unsettled theme’ would likely see weather systems moving close to or across the UK from the Atlantic in the coming months.
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