Good afternoon. A quick update here letting you know if any snow is in the forecast. We’ll take a look at the general theme of weather for the next week, and then finish with a brief look at how Christmas might shape up, however at that range forecasts are low in confidence.
The Week Ahead:
Unfortunately (for snow lovers), the next week is likely to be characterized by unsettled, Atlantic air-mass type weather. That means we can expect temperatures near or even above average. However, there will also be a lot of wind and rain. In fact, we may even see gale or severe gale force winds at some point in the week ahead as the jet stream continues to strengthen. The following chart (courtesy of Meteociel.fr), shows how strong the jet stream is expected to be this weekend.
Look at those red/black colours to the south west of the UK, that is indicating a very powerful jet stream indeed.
What are the implications of such a strong jet stream?
The jet stream fuels areas of low pressure, therefore a very powerful jet stream is likely to produce very deep (strong) areas of low pressure. That means the chances of some stormy weather on the run up to Christmas is there. That means, however, that the chances of snow to lower levels in the next 7 days (at least) are fairly low. However, it may just be cold enough at times for Northern Hills to experience some wintry showers. Rainfall totals may also be quite high, especially on western coasts and hills, which isn’t particularly great news for those who have suffered from floods recently.
Heading Up to Christmas, signs of a change?
The further out a forecast goes, the greater the uncertainty. Therefore, it’s really too early to make any bold predictions with any useful level of confidence for the Christmas period. Some models, however, are suggesting that high pressure could try and ridge in from the South West over Christmas, and that might bring something a little drier for the Christmas period, potentially even some night frosts. Watch this space!