UK cold weather: Met Office verdict on how many areas snow blast will hit as mercury drops

Britain is likely to witness the first sign of winter as snow and sleet makes way to the country this weekend, the Met Office has predicted.

The Met Office stated that high-ground snow and some sleet is possible this weekend. In a forecast on Monday evening, it stated: “Although there is some uncertainty at this stage, there is a chance of a cold spell of weather by the weekend with some sleet, and possibly snow over high ground”

Areas in Scotland will get a dusting as the weather maps show areas receiving 0.6cm to 1cm of snow per hour with temperatures dropping to as low as -7C in the first week of December.

Inverness, Portree, and Fort William will witness snow depths of more than 1cm, the MetDesk analysis suggests, but there is limited evidence of exactly how much will lay.

Sharing the weather patterns for the weekend, the Met Office stated there is a 70-percent chance of wintry conditions in and around Scotland.

Cities such as Perth, Kinross, Stirling, Dumfries, and Galloway will see cold northerly winds. Falling snow and sleet over the hills is possible for these areas.

While the northern parts will start feeling the chilly weather conditions, the southern parts of the area are likely to remain dry. With only a 20 percent chance, the areas will have low probability of prolonged rain.

Met Office Deputy Chief Forecaster Helen Caughey said: “There is a 70 per cent chance that areas as far south as southern England could experience overnight frosts and a general reduction in temperature. Any falling snow is likely to be confined to the far northeast, and hills and mountains of Scotland.”

Ms Caughey added that the cold snap “isn’t guaranteed, and those lower temperatures don’t mean widespread snow”

In its long-range forecast, updated daily, the forecaster spoke of the north-south split the nation would see - with the southern regions experiencing more in the way of dry and bright weather.

From November 25 to December 4, it says: "The early part of this period sees colder air continue to sink south, likely reaching all parts of the UK by the end of the weekend, perhaps with the exception of the far southwest.

"Wintry showers, and strong winds are likely into northern and eastern areas, with the risk of overnight frosts increasing through the weekend.

"Into next week, an east-west split in weather conditions is most likely."

"The west will have more chance of seeing milder conditions; cloud, with patchy rain and drizzle, while further east, colder, drier and brighter conditions with blustery wintry showers will likely persist.

"It is uncertain how prolonged this cold spell will be, but likely that through this period, milder, more unsettled conditions from the west will gradually replace the colder air."