The Met Office has dismissed reports that 470 miles of the UK will be covered by a snow storm later this month.
The Daily Mirror and the Birmingham Mail both reported that a 470-mile band of snow will hit the UK on 25 and 26 January, citing data from the WX Charts weather forecast viewer.
However, the Met Office has told Yahoo News it is not possible to accurately forecast snow that far ahead.
Many parts of the UK are recovering from severely snowy conditions in the first few weeks of the year, with temperatures finally creeping up this week after many places experienced below freezing in the past few days.
Temperatures plummeted to -18.9C on Saturday morning in Altnaharra, Scotland, making it the coldest January temperature in the UK for 15 years.
Staying dry this afternoon in the southeast, though with cloud making sunshine increasingly hazy ☁️
Wetter and windier to start the week for northwestern regions – and notably mild, which will lead to a thaw of any lying snow ☔ pic.twitter.com/Kycw2vAgc3
— Met Office (@metoffice) January 13, 2025
A spokesperson told Yahoo News on Monday: “I’m afraid it is not possible to forecast snow accurately that far ahead.
“When looking at forecasts beyond five days into the future, the chaotic nature of the atmosphere starts to come into play – small events currently over the Atlantic can have potentially significant impacts on our weather in the UK in several days’ time.
“Therefore, whilst we can still forecast the general feel of the weather to a relatively high level of accuracy using our ensemble models, it becomes harder to offer local detail to as high a level of accuracy as our shorter range forecasts.”
In its own long range forecast, for 17 to 26 January, the Met Office says there will be “some frost and fog in the south and east”.
For the period between 27 January and 10 February, the Met Office predicts “an unsettled, milder and windier than average period”, and suggests that snow is a possibility.
“The potential for brief colder spells with associated frost, ice and snow remains, following any deep lows crossing the region,” it said.
Temperatures are set to rise into double figures on Monday after a bitterly cold period that brought huge transport disruption and severe flooding to many areas.
Overnight temperatures from Monday into Tuesday will also increase, reaching up to 10C in Scotland, although much of England and Wales will see between -1C and 3C overnight, even though that is a rise on recent days.
The Met Office said Tuesday will be similar to Monday but potentially drier with highest temperatures between 11C and 12C in the north of England and 8C and 9C in the south, around average for this time of year.
Despite the increase in temperatures, an amber cold weather alert from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) remains in place for the whole of England until 9am on Tuesday.
Why is it tricky to forecast snow accurately?
The Met Office says forecasters examine three factors when forecasting snow – where the air has come from, very heavy precipitation and when warm air meets cold air.
Because of this range of indicators, it says predicting snow in the UK “can be one of the trickier forecasts to do accurately”.
The Met Office said: “Because of the UK’s location, where the air comes from is incredibly important when it comes to determining if snow is possible.
“Being surrounded by water also adds another factor into predicting snow chances in the UK, it may not feel like it if you dip your toe in, but the water in the seas around the UK is well above freezing and that affects the temperature of the air close to the surface which can determine how much snow is in the forecast.”
