Met Office issues warning over rare weather phenomenon this weekend

The cold snap is back with a vengeance.

The forecaster has said that we can expect a chance of some freezing rain in parts of the UK, as wintry showers are set to arrive on Saturday.

Thick cloud in the west brings bands of rain to Northern Ireland and southwestern England and Wales 🌧️

Some sleet or hill snow in places too, and a risk of freezing rain in the Welsh mountains 🥶

Elsewhere a cold and frosty start, but mainly dry with a few sunny spells ⛅ pic.twitter.com/DqzdWhBZev

— Met Office (@metoffice) February 13, 2025

The unique freezing rain occurrence is expected to fall over higher ground in the Welsh mountains and parts of Northern Ireland.

Met Office forecaster Honor Criswick said there could be "some frost, possibly even some ice too, some outbreaks of rain starting to push into Cornwall, parts of Northern Ireland, perhaps the far Southwest of Wales later".

"There is a chance we could see some hill snow as this area of rain moves into colder air. There is even a chance we could see some freezing rain, so do take care as there could be some icy stretches by the morning.

"But for many, most towns and cities will just about drop below freezing, so colder nights are likely compared to recent nights."

So, what is freezing rain and how does it form?

Precipitation often falls from a cloud first as snow. If it falls through warmer air on its way down to the ground, it can melt and turn to rain droplets, the Met Office explains.

But on rare occasions, those drops can fall through cold air again just before reaching the ground.

They then become ‘supercooled’ – meaning they are still falling in liquid form despite their temperature falling below zero.

When the ‘supercooled’ droplet hits the ground – which is also below zero – it spreads out a little on landing, and then instantly freezes, encasing the surface in a layer of clear ice.

This is why it is called freezing rain.

The grey and cold weather looks set to linger into early next week.

Luckily, temperatures are forecast to rise to a daytime average of 12-14C late next week, along with sunny spells in parts.