What is the 2019 Beast from the East, when's it going to snow and how will it affect weather in the UK?

Let’s take a look at the extraordinary cold weather coming our way this winter.

What is the Beast from the East, and when could it snow?

Forecaster Mark Wilson said the Contingency Planning Forecast – which is used by the government to prep for extreme weather – was predicting the first three months of 2019 were likely to be much frostier than normal.

And Met Office spokesman Simon Partridge said when a similar three-month forecast was issued at the start of last year, those predictions came starkly true.

Last winter, winds from Siberia pushed in from the east, causing the mercury to plummet – with even daytime temperatures struggling to rise above zero.

Partridge said: "Last year there was widespread snow across many parts of the UK and temperatures were well below average.

"There's a higher chance of seeing colder spells, and given that, as a result, there's a slightly higher chance of snow across the UK."

Weather forecasters believe that the snowstorm could hit Britain in late January, although they doubt it will be as severe as last year's cold weather.

The first snow of the year has already blasted Brits across the UK, with the flakes seen as far south as London.

Outbreaks of rain and wintry showers are expected to batter the UK with temperatures plummeting to -9C in Scotland and to 0C in the southeast of England.

Met Office forecasters warned snow could settle over the hills in northern England and Scotland.

But the freeze threatens to last well into February with more frost, ice and snow on the way after another day today.

Met Office forecaster Aidan McGivern said: "There’ll continue to be outbreaks of rain, hill snow and perhaps some patchy snow at lower levels across much of central and eastern England to begin the day away from Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex where it’s largely dry and bright.

"So don’t be surprised if you see even at lower levels for the midlands into, say, Lincolnshire, north east England, a few patches of snow to kick off the weekend.
"However, it’s not going to be widespread, much of the snow confined to upland Britain."

Overnight on January 17/18 temperatures plummeted to -10.7C in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, making it the UK's coldest night of this winter so far.

The Met Office has issued warnings for snow and ice for a large stretch of the eastern coast, as well as parts of Wales.

What is a polar vortex?

A polar vortex is a mass of desperately cold air that sits above the Earth’s north and south poles.

This dense, cold air is controlled by a large pocket of low pressure, which rotates in an anti-clockwise direction at the North Pole and clockwise at the South Pole.

The strength of a polar vortex varies from year to year.

When it is strong, the vortex is concentrated over the Arctic or Antarctic area.

But when it is weak – which is more frequent – it can split into two or more freezing vortices.

The phenomenon associated with wintry weather is known as a Sudden Stratospheric Warming.

These cover a larger area and can move south to Canada, the USA and Europe, increasing the risk of air temperatures decreasing to potentially dangerous levels.

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