December is here and although it might be the month of merry times, the bitterly cold temperatures are sadly on their way to Manchester, with possible snow, so it’s time to wrap up! The Met Office has reported today that “an arctic maritime airmass will push across the UK from the north this week bringing us some cold days, overnight frosts and a risk of wintry showers and snow.”
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The meteorologists have also released a Level 3 cold weather warning for parts of England between 6pm on Wednesday 7th December and 9am on Monday 12th December. This means there is a 90% probability of severe cold weather and icy conditions, which could increase the health risks to vulnerable patients and disrupt the delivery of services. From the mid-week there might be a possibility of snow for Manchester if temperature remain above or at freezing, although this is more likely for areas in Scotland.
Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist, Rebekah Sherwin, said: “Temperatures will start to dip this week, with daytime temperatures struggling to get above freezing in many places from mid-week onwards. However, the cold air from the Arctic will also bring brighter conditions, with some dry, sunny spells in many areas, particularly away from the coast.
“Showers will turn more wintry as the week goes on with a risk of snow at times. A yellow National Severe Weather Warning for snow has been issued for Wednesday covering northern Scotland. We can expect to see some snow and wintry showers further south as the week progresses, particularly in coastal areas or over higher ground. There will be widespread frosts with temperatures falling to as low as -10°C overnight in isolated spots by the end of the week.”
This week in Manchester will see temperatures drop to as low as -4°C on Thursday 8 December and Friday 9 December, with highs of 7°C today (Monday 5 December). The outlook for later this week will be mainly dry with the theme of clearer skies and sunny spells continuing. Isolated showers are likely, these turning wintry by Thursday. The weather will turn increasingly cold with widespread overnight frosts.
Although there are some uncertainties around how long this cold spell will last it is expected to stay cold into next week with temperatures remaining well below average for the time of year.