Weather and climate change

Headline:

Staying very cold with snow showers for some.

Today:

Many places will stay dry today with sunshine. Snow showers will continue across parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland and some coastal counties. Very cold with a bitter wind chill at times.

Tonight:

Very cold tonight with a widespread frost and icy stretches. Staying dry and clear in the south, but cloudier in the north as a band of snow moves in.

Tuesday:

Another cold day with a mixture of rain, sleet and snow across the north. Drier in the south with sunny skies, before rain, sleet and snow moves in this evening.

Outlook for Wednesday to Friday:

Staying cold with frontal systems pushing in from the west. A mixture of rain, sleet and snow will move across the country at times with a risk of strong winds.

Updated: 04:00 (UTC) on Mon 5 Jan 2026

A changeable period is expected, with Atlantic frontal systems occasionally affecting the UK, bringing spells of rain, likely preceded by snow in some areas, more especially central, northern and eastern parts. Some significant snowfall is possible in places, particularly on northern hills. These low pressure systems could also bring some strong winds. These will be interspersed with quieter, drier interludes under transient ridges of high pressure, with the potential for frost, and wintry showers along coasts exposed to northerly winds. Temperatures will tend to trend closer to average as the period progresses, mainly in the south, such that the frequency of wintry hazards, especially in the south, may reduce slightly. However, there is a hint late in this period that it may briefly turn widely drier and colder again.

Updated: 14:00 (UTC) on Sun 4 Jan 2026

The outlook through the latter part of January and into the start of February is very uncertain, with no strong indication for any particular weather pattern to dominate. However, a broadly westerly regime seems more likely than not. As such, conditions are most likely to be changeable. Spells of wet, windy and mild weather are likely at times, along with some colder, drier interludes with overnight frost and fog. There is a hint that this period may start off largely dry and cold though. Snow and ice remain possible, especially in central and northern parts of the UK, but the chance of these is generally lower than earlier in January.

Updated: 15:00 (UTC) on Sun 4 Jan 2026