UK braced for 490-mile snow storm and 'rare' weather event in England next week

A 490-mile snow storm looks set to hammer England in a "rare" UK weather event. The whole of Scotland could be covered - with northern England also struck, and cities like Manchester at risk, according to WX Charts maps and charts.

The UK also looks set to be hit by "freezing rain", a phenomenon that the Met Office describe as "a rare type of liquid precipitation that strikes a cold surface, and freezes almost instantly." The Met Office says of freezing rain: “The conditions needed for freezing rain are quite specific and we don’t see this phenomenon very often in the UK.

"It can produce striking effects, as the rain drop spreads out momentarily across the surface before it freezes, encasing the surface in a layer of clear ice. It is not just these eye-catching scenes which the freezing rain can bring; the weight of the ice can sometimes be heavy enough to bring down trees and power lines, and the glaze of ice on the ground effectively turns roads and pathways into an ice rink. The freezing rain can also prove extremely hazardous for aircraft.”

READ MORE Drivers who don't press three dashboard buttons in specific order face £2,500 fine

There are indications we could see a brief return to colder conditions although for many, but it will be drier than of late. How long the more settled conditions last is uncertain, with rain probably returning to westernmost areas at least by the end of the week, the Met Office has stated.

The weather forecast for freezing rain from WX Charts takes effect December 3, with the Met Office outlook explaining: "A cold and frosty start is expected on Tuesday, with some patchy freezing fog in places, which may be slow to clear. Cloud will increase from the west, then later rain for western parts.

"This may fall as snow at first across Scotland and the Highlands. Following a brief settled spell, further fontal systems are expected to move in from the west, more likely to bring rain and breezy conditions for much of the UK, especially northern and western parts. Towards the end of the period there are signs for more settled weather becoming amplified across the south of the UK."