A long, hard winter for Britain

This is bound to be a meandering Jet Stream, but when it comes to the North Atlantic I wonder about the thermohaline circulation

HEAVY SNOW WARNING: Shock long range UK weather forecast for winter 2013

BRITAIN faces months of freezing winds and heavy snow as long-range forecasters predict a “horror winter” ahead.

The Express,

13 November, 2013

Winter 2013 into 2014 is forecast to be “exceptionally severe” with above-average snowfall and plunging temperatures.

Long-range weather forecasts warn of bitter Arctic gales leading to feet-deep snow drifts right up until February.

Snow forecasts for winter 2013 suggest much of the country will be hit by heavy wintry downpours with no let up well into next year.

As lovers of the white stuff ask ‘will it snow?’ this winter, the general consensus among long-range forecasters is a resounding ‘yes’.

However they said winter could bring chaos similar to the big freeze of 2010/11 which saw airports close and roads grind to a standstill for months.

First flurries of snow set to hit the UK within days as winter comes back with a vengeance

The warnings come as temperatures begin to dip around the UK with the first “real taste” of winter likely to hit next week.

James Madden, forecaster for Exacta Weather, said Britain is braced for “copious” snowfall this winter with extreme cold expected to last into the spring.

He added that Britain faces “an incomparable scenario to anything we have experienced in modern times”.

He said: “An exceptionally prolonged period of widespread cold is highly likely to develop throughout this winter and last into next spring.

“It will be accompanied by snow drifts of several feet and long-lasting snow accumulations on a widespread scale.

“This period of snow and cold is likely to result in an incomparable scenario to anything we have experienced in modern times.

“A scenario similar to December 2010 is likely to develop, but on a more prolonged scale in terms of overall duration.”

Whiteout: Britain is facing months of heavy snow and Arctic winds [NASA]

January is likely to bring the worst of the weather although Britain will shiver in below-average temperatures for the next three months.

He said: “This is certainly a record-breaking and historical weather period which is likely to see one of the coldest and snowiest starts to British New Year in a very long time.”

Jonathan Powell, forecaster for Vantage Weather Services, said this winter could be the worst for decades.

He said: “We are looking at something on a par with 2010 when Britain was hit by particularly bad big freeze.

“The focal point at this stage seems to be January, when we could see widespread heavy snow and below-average temperatures.

“This could stretch out for weeks, meaning we could be looking at the worst winter big freeze for decades.”

Gale force winds are also expected to batter Britain this winter [PA]

The Met Office said there is a chance temperatures will sink below average over the next 30 days with snow on the way.

Its 30-day outlook states: “Conditions are not expected to be as mild as recent weeks, instead, temperatures are thought more likely to be just below average than above.

“Snow is not unusual during late November and early December.

“So, with temperatures more likely to be just below average, the chance of seeing snow across the UK increases relative to recent weeks.”

Local Authorities are on standby for a particularly severe winter with gritters at the ready and more salt stockpiled than last year.

Around 95 per cent of councils are either maintaining or increasing stock levels this winter, according to the Local Government Association (LGA).

Half of councils also plan to share resources with neighbouring councils while some are adopting new methods of tackling winter including GPS trackers on gritters.

Local authorities are also using liquid de-icers, brine and sugar-coated salt which is less likely to be blown off roads by wind or traffic.

Airport bosses warned cancellations would be “the most effective way” of dealing with severe weather.

British Airways’ operations director Andy Lord said: “I can’t guarantee that. There will be, on occasions, desks that won’t have people on them.”

He said BA was considering moving some flights from Heathrow to Gatwick in bad weather.

But he warned some people diverted to Gatwick would need to then get to Heathrow for connecting flights.

He added: “Inevitably there will be disruption at Heathrow if there are problems elsewhere.”