0:00:02 > 0:00:04It was a mild December but I'm sure we can all agree now that winter
0:00:04 > 0:00:06has arrived with a vengeance.
0:00:06 > 0:00:07From top to tail across the UK
0:00:07 > 0:00:10we've had some snowfall over the last 24 hours or so.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13This shot taken from Highlands, Scotland,
0:00:13 > 0:00:16and across southeastern parts of England
0:00:16 > 0:00:18the rain turned to snow during the course of Thursday,
0:00:18 > 0:00:21a few centimetres up over the high ground as well.
0:00:21 > 0:00:23But we need to put all this in perspective.
0:00:23 > 0:00:26Cast your minds back 30 years -
0:00:26 > 0:00:27some of us can remember -
0:00:27 > 0:00:30blizzards raged across southern
0:00:30 > 0:00:32and eastern parts of the UK
0:00:32 > 0:00:34and temperatures by day
0:00:34 > 0:00:36exactly 30 years ago
0:00:36 > 0:00:39did not get above -8 Celsius
0:00:39 > 0:00:41all day long.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43So, let's put this little cold snap
0:00:43 > 0:00:45into some perspective. The highs on Friday -
0:00:45 > 0:00:482-5 degrees, north to south.
0:00:48 > 0:00:50There's no doubt about it, it does feel
0:00:50 > 0:00:52chilly out there and it will be a chilly
0:00:52 > 0:00:53and wintry day.
0:00:53 > 0:00:56Through the early hours, a little band of snowfall
0:00:56 > 0:00:58pushing out of Scotland and running all the way
0:00:58 > 0:01:00down the eastern side of England.
0:01:00 > 0:01:02A pretty narrow band but it could deposit
0:01:02 > 0:01:04a couple of centimetres of snow.
0:01:04 > 0:01:06More like rain or sleet on the coast.
0:01:06 > 0:01:08We've got a gale blowing down the North Sea
0:01:08 > 0:01:09with big waves.
0:01:09 > 0:01:11That snow could arrive in the London area
0:01:11 > 0:01:13just in time for the rush hour.
0:01:13 > 0:01:15It doesn't last long, it clears out of the way,
0:01:15 > 0:01:17the sun comes out and for most places
0:01:17 > 0:01:20it'll be a bright but cold day on Friday.
0:01:20 > 0:01:22That brisk wind will continue
0:01:22 > 0:01:24and it'll continue to feed some
0:01:24 > 0:01:26wintry showers into exposed areas.
0:01:26 > 0:01:27But with some shelter -
0:01:27 > 0:01:29for example, along the south cost,
0:01:29 > 0:01:30shouldn't feel too bad
0:01:30 > 0:01:32with temperatures 4 or 5 degrees.
0:01:32 > 0:01:34It certainly will not feel very pleasant
0:01:34 > 0:01:36along those North Sea coasts.
0:01:36 > 0:01:38We're quite concerned about the possibility
0:01:38 > 0:01:39of a storm surge,
0:01:39 > 0:01:42with huge waves crashing onto the coastline,
0:01:42 > 0:01:44coastal flooding a real possibility.
0:01:44 > 0:01:46Further wintry showers across parts of
0:01:46 > 0:01:48Northern Ireland and the more exposed
0:01:48 > 0:01:49northern parts of Scotland.
0:01:49 > 0:01:51But plenty of sunshine further south.
0:01:51 > 0:01:53Cold, though, and after a widespread frost
0:01:53 > 0:01:56on Saturday it'll be another chilly day.
0:01:56 > 0:01:58Further wintry showers down the east coast,
0:01:58 > 0:02:00the strongest of the winds beginning to moderate,
0:02:00 > 0:02:02and the showers out west
0:02:02 > 0:02:04will begin to turn back to rain or sleet.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07Something a bit milder trying to encroach
0:02:07 > 0:02:08off the Atlantic.
0:02:08 > 0:02:10You can see the yellow's trying to push in.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13How quickly the mild air gets across to the east
0:02:13 > 0:02:15and removes that block of cold
0:02:15 > 0:02:16is a big question mark.
0:02:16 > 0:02:18I think for western areas it will turn milder
0:02:18 > 0:02:20with some outbreaks of rain,
0:02:20 > 0:02:21but for eastern-most parts
0:02:21 > 0:02:23it could be a raw day on Sunday
0:02:23 > 0:02:24as that cloud and patchy rain,
0:02:24 > 0:02:26maybe a bit of sleet, turns up -
0:02:26 > 0:02:28just 4 or 5 degrees here,
0:02:28 > 0:02:29milder out west.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32Even by Monday, the warm air
0:02:32 > 0:02:33hasn't quite made it
0:02:33 > 0:02:35across to eastern parts of England
0:02:35 > 0:02:38and this warm front will grind to a halt,
0:02:38 > 0:02:41so along that zone we'll have cloud
0:02:41 > 0:02:42and patchy rain.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44Probably drier on either side
0:02:44 > 0:02:46but whereas out west it'll be mild,
0:02:46 > 0:02:48double figures here,
0:02:48 > 0:02:50still be chilly across eastern parts
0:02:50 > 0:02:52of England. And then, if anything,
0:02:52 > 0:02:54as we head through Tuesday into Wednesday,
0:02:54 > 0:02:57things start to push back westwards again
0:02:57 > 0:03:00as that cold block pushes the mild air
0:03:00 > 0:03:02back into the Atlantic.
0:03:02 > 0:03:03That's the case across England and Wales.
0:03:03 > 0:03:05Northern Ireland and Scotland
0:03:05 > 0:03:08will probably hold on to milder air.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10It's all governed by the jet stream,
0:03:10 > 0:03:11and the jet stream's
0:03:11 > 0:03:12in a weird configuration,
0:03:12 > 0:03:14a massive great loop,
0:03:14 > 0:03:15this branch of it
0:03:15 > 0:03:17pushing milder air into the northwest,
0:03:17 > 0:03:19this branch pushing that cold
0:03:19 > 0:03:22continental air into the south and east,
0:03:22 > 0:03:23with a contrast in temperature
0:03:23 > 0:03:26between the northwest and the southeast
0:03:26 > 0:03:27in the course of next week.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29That's it, I'll update you again tomorrow.