UK weather latest: Temperatures to fall below zero as Britain faces 'polar vortex'

Sudden stratospheric warming will bring cold winds from Eastern Europe

The UK is set to be hit by a “polar vortex” which will see a freezing Arctic blast sending temperatures below zero.

A sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) will bring cold winds from Eastern Europe to the UK.

There are signs that the cold spell is likely to last well into next week with possibly even colder air from Russia moving across the UK.

There is only a low risk of snow because of the dry nature of the air, although this could change next week, forecasters said.

A spokesperson for the Met Office told The Independent: “The Stratospheric Polar Vortex normally remains over the pole, essentially ‘trapping’ the cold air here.

“This vortex has split though in recent weeks, causing a ‘blocking’ area of high pressure to form across the UK.

“The location of the high will drive in a strong and bitterly cold easterly wind, with air originating all the way from Russia and Siberia.”

Prof Adam Scaife, of the Met Office Hadley Centre, added: “Signs of this event appeared in forecasts from late January and last week we saw a dramatic rise in air temperature of around 50°C, known as a Sudden Stratospheric Warming, at around 30km above the North Pole.

“This warming results from a breakdown of the usual high-altitude westerly winds and it often leads to a switch in our weather: with cold easterly conditions more likely to dominate subsequent UK weather.”