Snow on Tap for United Kingdom and Ireland

By Kristina Pydynowski, Senior Meteorologist

January 27,2015; 9:00PM,EST

 

 

A blast of cold air will set the stage for the most widespread snowfall threat across the United Kingdom and Ireland Wednesday through Thursday.
A potent cold front will sweep across the British Isles through the first half of Wednesday, opening the door for colder air to come rushing in.
Combined with the cold air, a moist flow from the Atlantic will develop and lead to frequent rain and snow showers throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland through Thursday.
The heaviest snow will target the higher terrain of Ireland, Northern Ireland, northern England and Wales. Between 8 and 15 cm (3 and 6 inches) of snow will fall in these locations with localized amounts in excess of 15 cm (6 inches) in the highest elevations.

"Strong winds accompanying the snow will likely lead to near-blizzard conditions across the higher terrain during the peak of the storm," stated AccuWeather.com Meteorologist Eric Leister.
Even the lower elevations of Ireland and the western United Kingdom, such as Dublin and Liverpool, could receive a coating to an inch or two of snow.
The greatest opportunity for the snow to accumulate on roadways in these areas would be in any intense snow squall that can also briefly lower visibility.
Otherwise, AccuWeather.com Meteorologist Tyler Roys said that "Most roads will be wet in the lower elevations."
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Farther east, residents and visitors in London will see wet snowflakes mix with rain showers Thursday morning and then again Thursday night. It is not out of the question for grassy and elevated surfaces to quickly become coated.
Adding to the wintry feel throughout the British Isles will be the blustery winds ushering in the cold air. These winds will occasionally gust between 55 and 80 kph (35 and 50 mph) Wednesday into Thursday with gusts of 95-115 kph (60-70 mph) along the western coasts.
Tree damage and sporadic power outages can result, while the winds work to keep AccuWeather.com RealFeel® temperatures well below actual temperatures.
For the London area, the strongest winds will occur when the cold front initially swings through Wednesday morning. RealFeel temperatures will then remain below zero C (held to the 20s F) later Wednesday through Thursday. Actual temperatures will rise to 5 C (lower 40s F) on Thursday.
Additional snow showers will follow for Friday and this weekend across parts of the British Isles.