Forecasters issue warning over ‘snow bomb’ set to hit UK in new year

15 days of freezing conditions are expected

Forecasters have issued a Sudden Stratospheric Warning, which means there has been a blocking of high pressure resulting from a steep rise in temperatures.

This high pressure can in turn bring snowfall, with rural Scotland and the North of England expected to be most heavily impacted.

Meteorologists expect this cold snap to last for the first half of January.

Forecaster James Madden told GB News that the 'snow bomb' was looking ever likelier.

"There are now strong indications for a major SSW to occur during the early part of January," he said.

"If it does, many parts of the UK can expect to end up in the freezer with snow events and severe cold weather."

Dan Stroud from the Met Office told The Mirror: "Into the New Year, high pressure will bring an increased chance of prolonged spells of cold weather.

"There's some potential there for wintry hazards, more so than the past few years for January."

The warnings come amid an already grim December. Storm Gerrit, the fourth named storm of the month hit this week, which has wreaked havoc on many festive plans due to the high winds and wet weather.

However, with January quickly approaching, it seems that the weather may give us a short respite, with a spokesperson telling the outlet to expect "perhaps with some drier and brighter interludes" in the first week of the new year.

'From the middle of January onward, conditions will probably turn drier and more settled as high pressure starts to have a greater influence,' the long-term forecast warns, though. 'This also means an increased risk of more prolonged and widespread cold conditions.'