Will a 'snow bomb' hit the UK? Met Office verdict as 'Troll from Trondheim' heads this way

Winter 2024 feels like it has been all seasons wrapped in one so far. Two storms have brought high winds, flooding and rain to the country. This was followed up by unseasonably mild temperatures, some of which reached the mid-teens.

A new cold snap is on the horizon as colder air front - dubbed the "Troll from Trondheim" - looks to push in from Norway. The possible arrival of colder temperatures has increased the likelihood of a 'snow bomb' hitting the UK, which the Met Office describes as "an unofficial term for a low pressure system whose central pressure falls 24 millibars in 24 hours in a process known as explosive cyclogenesis".

The current Met Office forecast shows that temperatures could dip to 0C in some parts of Scotland next week, with the long range forecast from the service says that "colder conditions could start to feature in the second week of February". However Aidan McGivern, forecaster at the Met Office, said that there is uncertainty about what could be heading our way, adding that the “computer models are showing all sorts of different things”. However, he added that some things are looking more likely than others.

Mr McGivern said: “Low pressure sitting further south across the UK than how we started the week and that would allow colder air but it would remain unsettled. With colder air in place, we would see wintry hazards across parts of the UK so hill snow, perhaps some snow at lower levels and some icy patches if this were to occur. This is slightly more likely as a solution for the end of next week."