The massive polar vortex sweeping across the US this week will only be the beginning of the country's bone-chilling plunge into winter, meteorologists warn. New forecasts have revealed that the Midwest and Northeast are currently in the first wave of an arctic 'outbreak' which will likely see more freezing cold air move south from Canada over the next three weeks.
Londoners have taken to social media to share their excitement about the first snow of the season, posting pictures and video from Twickenham to Cricklewood. You would think Londoners are cold-deprived from the way they have reacted to the fresh snowfall. One user on X said: I can't believe it's snowing in St.John's Wood, London. It's only November! Another user celebrated: first time seeing snow in london!!
Cold Arctic air from the north is firmly in charge of the UK's weather, bringing the first notable cold snap of this autumn and giving an early taste of winter weather. As a result, winter hazards are likely through the next few days, with snow and ice a particular hazard, and the coldest conditions likely on Wednesday and Thursday. Wintry showers will affect areas exposed to the brisk northerly wind, in particular Northern Ireland, southwest Wales, southwest England, northeast England and across the northern half of Scotland.
"It's mainly down to how changeable it is, and also the fact that we can't plan anything or rely on it," he said. "People are obsessed because there's always something outdoors that they're thinking about doing, whether it be tomorrow, the weekend or a big event coming up. "I think the fact that it varies so much across the island as well. It's a very small island. What I post in Carlow, and it'll be blue skies and sunshine, and I get all these messages from the west of Ireland saying, 'It's not like that here'."