UK: Sunday wintry showers, cold winds to ease by Valentine’s Day

By Kristina Pydynowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist

February 11,2017, 11:07:38AM,EST

 

 

Those with Valentine’s Day plans on Sunday may want to wait to celebrate as wintry showers and cold gripping the United Kingdom will ease by the actual holiday.
The combination of a cold, moist flow of air from the east and a weak area of low pressure will continue to allow wintry showers to spread from the North Sea westward across the U.K. through Sunday.
However, the showers will tend to be less wintry in Northern Ireland and South West England.
As the showers stream across the U.K., a moderate to fresh breeze will further add to the chill by creating even lower AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures.

Spells of snowflakes will fly in London, Cambridge and Edinburgh.
Even though lasting accumulations are not expected outside of the hills, the snow showers can still lightly whiten some communities in the lower elevations at times.
The highest chance for the snow to coat roads and create slippery travel will be at night, in the early morning and during the heaviest snow showers.
Northeastern England is expected to have more incidents of settling snow than other lower elevations in the United Kingdom.
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Newcastle upon Tyne, Middlesbrough, Leeds and Sheffield are among the communities most at risk for getting a coating to 2 cm (an inch) of settling snow.
The higher terrain from the Midlands into northern England and eastern Scotland are expected to have up to 8 mm (3 inches) of settling snow over the weekend, leading to more disruptions to travel.
Outside of the hills, snow that settles during the daylight hours will melt shortly after falling as temperatures climb above freezing.
Any wet untreated surfaces could become icy on Saturday night and Sunday morning as temperatures drop below freezing, mainly in the outlying areas.
The risk of ice, wintry showers and blustery winds will ease early this week as high pressure shifts southward into central Europe.

That will open the door for milder air to filter in from the south for Monday and Tuesday.
Those with Valentine’s Day plans on Tuesday will not have to worry about wrapping up. Daytime temperatures will rise above normal with highs ranging from 7-9 C (44-48 F) in the north. In parts of southern England, temperatures will reach or exceed 10 C (50 F).
After dry weather complements the rebounding temperatures on Monday, showers will force residents to grab brollies in South West England, Wales and Northern Ireland on Tuesday.
Tuesday will feature sunny spells in London and the rest of South East England, while northern England and Scotland will have to wait for morning cloud and fog to break before seeing sunshine.