The UK is set for a snowy start as a dramatic blizzard is set to blanket the British Isles from Cornwall to Newcastle. According to the latest weather models produced by WX Charts, on January 11, widespread blizzards are set to blow across the UK, leaving England, Scotland and Wales covered in snow while the mercury plunges to negative temperatures.
The Arctic chill is forecast to sweep over British shores at midnight, with snow soon beginning to fall across practically all of the UK. By the time Brits wake up at 6am, the charts predict the snow will continue to fall, starting to settle and causing disruption for many with Sunday morning plans. As the day continues, the snow will start to settle, and by 6pm, a large build-up is expected to cause havoc across the country, with the capital submerged under 17cm.
The North East is set to be the worst hit, with areas near Newcastle and Northumberland reaching depths of 43cm while at the other end of the nation, Devon and Cornwall can also expect a covering, with depths forecast to reach just under 30cm.
Temperatures with this system are shown dipping to around –1C and -2C across much of the UK in the early hours, although parts of Scotland are forecast to plummet even further, reaching biting cold lows of -11C.
In its long-range forecast, the Met Office warned of the likelihood of colder conditions and widespread frost through the first weeks of 2026, with wintry showers often possible as Arctic air interacts with wet weather from the Atlantic.
From January 2 until January 11, the forecasters predict the weather to take a turn for the cold. Their forecast added: “Cold northerly winds, initially across Scotland, are now expected to become dominant across the whole UK in the first week of January.
“These will bring wintry showers (often of snow) to many coastlines (and areas just inland of these) that are exposed to onshore winds.
“Subtle day-to-day changes in wind direction from northeast to northwest will change the places most exposed to the showers, but many inland locations across central and southern areas will remain mostly dry but cold.
“There are likely to be some more coherent bands of rain, sleet and snow working south, and these may bring a risk of more prolonged wintry precipitation affecting some inland areas.”
The news comes as the national forecaster issued a new weather warning for parts of Scotland, as snow is expected to hit even earlier.
A yellow alert for snow and ice is in place from 6am on January 1 until 11.59pm on January 2. The affected regions are: Central, Tayside and Fife, Grampian, Highlands and Eilean Siar, Orkney and Shetland, and Strathclyde.