The Met Office has issued an update on a Beast from the East hitting the country as the UK braces for temperatures as low as -10C with heavy snow at the next week.

Colder weather is set to hit the country for the rest of the week, with the possibility of snow in parts of the country.

However, as we move into March there is the possibility that a major weather event, known as a Sudden Stratospheric Warning (SSW), could bring temperatures even lower.

It was a major SSW which brought the Beast from the East to the UK in 2018, as the country saw 22 inches of snowfall in some places, while £1.2 billion in damage was caused to the economy.

The Bolton News:

Maps from WXCharts show temperatures falling as low as -10C in parts of the UK at the start of March.

The maps also shows flurries of snow hitting the country, with the snowfall reaching 30cm in some areas of Scotland.

The Met Office has confirmed that an SSW is “very likely”, with forecaster Alex Deakin saying: “Southern Stratospheric Warming is linked to the winds high up in the air, in the atmosphere, in the stratosphere above the North Pole, which most of the year go around in a westerly direction.

“Every now and again, every couple of years those winds flip direction and that’s what’s happened, it happened last week.”

He added: “Colder weather is more likely, that is what SSW does it increases the chances of those slow moving weather patterns and increases the chances of high pressure close to the UK … it doesn’t always mean colder weather but it does increase the chances and it doesn’t definitely mean we are going to see some widespread problems from the colder weather.”

However, the Met Office stressed that an SSW does not always equate to a Beast from the East-like weather scenario.

This is the current long-range forecast for the UK between February 26 and March 7 from the Met Office: “Widely settled with plenty of sunshine, cloudiest in the west but cloud cover gradually increasing through the weekend. Patchy overnight fog in periods of clear skies possible.

“Some slight showers possible across north and eastern coastal districts. Light and variable winds, stronger across some peripheral areas, especially the south coast.

“Temperatures by day around average to mild in north, but chillier where clear skies persist overnight. Rather cold in the south, especially in the breeze.

“Later, most places rather cloudy, but dry. A low pressure will produce an increased risk of showers in the south.

“The likelihood of wintery showers is very low, but most possible for the far south. Temperatures by day likely to be around average, by night likely a little below overall although frosts limited by cloud.”