UK weather latest: 'Thundersnow' forecast to hit Britain as Met Office warns of gales and plunging temperatures
Wintry showers and heavy rain to hit parts of the country
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Your support makes all the difference.A meteorological phenomenon known as “thundersnow” is set to hit the UK this week.
The unusual weather, in which snow falls in a thunderstorm instead of rain, is most likely to be seen in western Scotland, according to the Met Office.
It occurs when relatively warm, unstable air meets cooler air in wintry conditions.
“It’s exactly the same mechanism as a thunderstorm, it’s just colder,” Met Office forecaster Charlie Powell told The Independent.
He added: “What’s interesting about it is it sounds a bit different from regular thunder. The snowflakes have a different impact on the way sound travels because they are kind of big and moving slowly and they have this weird dampening effect on the sound.
“When you are in a thunderstorm and it’s snowing you will often find the sound of the thunder is more of a thud than a clap of thunder because of the way the sound is deadened. It’s a bit like having soundproofing in the room.”
Mr Powell said thundersnow was most likely to happen late on Wednesday or Thursday in western Scotland as rain gives way to wintry showers.
“We could see some heavy showers that may well give thunder and it’s going to be cold enough to see snow,” he added.
Thunderstorms more commonly happen in summer, when hotter temperatures send warm, moist air rising into the atmosphere. But the same “atmosphere churn” can happen in cold weather, said Mr Powell.
Thundersnow falls in the UK on a “roughly annual” basis, according to the Met Office.
Police in Scotland issued a warning for motorists to drive with caution ahead of expected snow on Tuesday.
Rain and snow is expected to affect much of southern, western and central Scotland, including the M74, with gales also forecast.
A Met Office yellow warning is in force between 3am and 3pm on Tuesday and could impact drivers’ morning commute.
Temperatures overnight are likely to fall below freezing and gales are expected on the western coast. Between 5cm and 15cm of snow is expected to fall on higher ground over 300m.
A yellow warning for rain and wind is also in place across south-west England between midnight and 10am on Tuesday. The Met Office said: “20mm of rain is possible within two and three hours in some places”, with flooding predicted on the roads.
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