Britain Jan 2013. |
UK forecasters predict “exceptionally severe” winter, unlike anything we have experienced in modern times.(EX).HT: IceAgeNow.
Britain faces “an incomparable scenario to anything we have experienced in modern times”.Winter 2013 into 2014 is forecast to be “exceptionally severe” with above-average snowfall and plunging temperatures.
Long-range weather forecasts warn of bitter Arctic gales leading to feet-deep snow drifts right up until February.
Snow forecasts for winter 2013 suggest much of the country will be hit by heavy wintry downpours with no let up well into next year.
As lovers of the white stuff ask ‘will it snow?’ this winter, the general consensus among long-range forecasters is a resounding ‘yes’.
However they said winter could bring chaos similar to the big freeze of 2010/11 which saw airports close and roads grind to a standstill for months.
The warnings come as temperatures begin to dip around the UK with the first “real taste” of winter likely to hit next week.
James Madden, forecaster for Exacta Weather, said Britain is braced for “copious” snowfall this winter with extreme cold expected to last into the spring.
He added that Britain faces “an incomparable scenario to anything we have experienced in modern times”.
He said: “An exceptionally prolonged period of widespread cold is highly likely to develop throughout this winter and last into next spring.
“It will be accompanied by snow drifts of several feet and long-lasting snow accumulations on a widespread scale.
“This period of snow and cold is likely to result in an incomparable scenario to anything we have experienced in modern times.
“A scenario similar to December 2010 is likely to develop, but on a more prolonged scale in terms of overall duration.”
January is likely to bring the worst of the weather although Britain will shiver in below-average temperatures for the next three months.
He said: “This is certainly a record-breaking and historical weather period which is likely to see one of the coldest and snowiest starts to British New Year in a very long time.”
Jonathan Powell, forecaster for Vantage Weather Services, said this winter could be the worst for decades.
He said: “We are looking at something on a par with 2010 when Britain was hit by particularly bad big freeze.
“The focal point at this stage seems to be January, when we could see widespread heavy snow and below-average temperatures.
“This could stretch out for weeks, meaning we could be looking at the worst winter big freeze for decades.”