Cold blast set to hit Highlands next week warns forecaster
Forecasters are warning that the Highlands are in for another cold blast set to arrive next week. The rest of the UK is likely to follow after the snow first arrives in the North.
Online forecasters Exacta Weather are also repeating their warning that they expect it to be a long hard winter with plenty of snow.
Forecaster James Madden said: "A significant change to much colder conditions is likely to develop across many parts of the country as we progress throughout next week.
"This wintry blast will also bring the risk of some widespread and heavy snow showers, especially in some northern an eastern parts of the country.
"The snow will initially hit parts of Scotland, the north, and parts of the east from the middle part of next week, before spreading to other parts of the country later. Some significant snow is likely in these parts, especially across higher ground.
"However, some notable falls of snow may also develop in some parts as far south as the Midlands and parts of southern England later.
"This wintry blast has all the ingredients to become a potentially widespread snow event, and frequent wintry showers are also likely to develop across a large swathe of the country, even to lower levels.
"This will herald an appropriate feel to the start of the meteorological winter, in what is set to be a long hard winter with abundant snow amounts. "In particular, in January, which could replicate December 2010 and see temperatures hovering at several degrees below the seasonal average for a prolonged period of time."
The onlien forecaster first flagged up eight months ago that they expected disruption to the public transport network at times and school closures throughout the early part of December.
