Snow weather forecast UK: Map shows the day snow is most likely to hit the UK

With the colder weather, the attention turns to snow. Despite what Christmas cards would have you believe, snow is far more likely here in February than it is in December - and so is there a chance blizzards could coincide with the impending half-term break.

The Met Office believes the rest of this week will be cold but sunny, following the recent settled weather which has been as a result of an area of high pressure. For the weekend it has predicted that the high pressure will start to move, heading north east, and that: “This will allow a cold east to south-easterly wind to develop, introducing more cloud and some showers, perhaps wintry.”

The outlook after this weekend is, if anything, for the temperatures to feel even colder.

The Met Office says: “High pressure will likely sit to the northeast of the UK during this period. Consequently, winds across many areas are likely to come from an easterly quadrant, exacerbating the cold feel, with temperatures often below average. At first, there is the chance of more widespread precipitation, most likely mainly rain, across southernmost areas, before this clears away.

“Thereafter, there is a risk of some sleet or snow showers feeding in on the east to south-easterly wind, though many places may remain dry. Also a small chance of Atlantic fronts making inroads from the west, especially later in this period, which could also bring the possibility of at least transient snow. Overnight frost is likely to feature during this period, particularly where skies are clear.”

This takes us up to the end of Tuesday, February 18. The long-range forecast for Wednesday, February 19 onwards says that things are likely to get more unsettled, but also warmer - and it’s the change that could see snow fall.

The Met Office has said: “It is most likely that high pressure to the east or northeast of the UK will dominate at first in some form or another, but with time this may decline, allowing an erratic transition to rather more unsettled and possibly less cold conditions.

“During this transition there is the possibility of more prolonged rain or snow developing, at least for a time, but confidence in these details is currently very low.

WXCharts has released graphics predicting the weather, up to February 21. So far it believes that the most likely time for snow to hit the UK is early on Tuesday, February 11, covering London and East Anglia. So far its charts do not extend far enough into the future to cover the Met Office’s cautious prediction for late February.

Earlier forecasts pinpointed Monday, February 17 as a likely day for snow to hit the UK, from Scotland to the south coast, but this now does not look likely.