Met Office dismisses reports of ’60 hours of snow’ in mid-December

The Met Office has dismissed reports of a massive snowstorm predicted to hit parts of the UK next weekend.

On Thursday, the Express reported the north of the UK could experience 60 hours of snow between 9-11 December.

They based the report on predictions by WX Charts, which in turn uses data from MetDesk to predict the weather.

But the Met Office has rejected the prediction, saying it is extremely difficult to predict snow more than a week into the future.

In a statement given to Yahoo News UK, the Met Office said: “It is far too early to be talking about any risk of snow for the weekend after next.

Read more: Storm Conall map shows Met Office weather warning across southern UK

“While any drop in temperature often leads to speculation of a heightened risk of snow, as little as 1 degree Celsius change in temperature can make all the difference between snow and rainfall.”

On top of dramatic differences in weather caused by small changes in temperature, several other factors make it difficult to predict snow more than a few days in advance in the UK.

Location can also make a difference, the same type of weather front might lead to snow somewhere in a higher altitude but cause rain in low-lying areas.

The fact that the UK is also surrounded by water can impact snow predictions.

Wind direction and air pressure also play a part, leading to a scenario where a small change in a number of factors can lead to snow becoming likely or unlikely when a few days previously the opposite was the case.

This is generally why the Met Office avoids predicting snow outside of a few days in the future.

What will the weather look like in December?

For the first third of December, the Met Office predicts wintery conditions across much of the country, with it mostly being rainy, windy and grey.

As the week progresses low-pressure systems are expected to move in from the Atlantic near the northern and western parts of the UK, perhaps resulting in more wet and windy weather.

In the south and east of the country, the air is predicted to be drier with less chance of rain.

The temperature across the country is predicted to be above average, around 7-10C.

Further into the month starting from 12 December the weather is likely to be settled before the wind is likely to get stronger as Christmas approaches. Rain is also likely and a chance of snow, especially in hilly areas. The temperature is expected to be average around 5C.

They have given no direct prediction for the weather around Christmas.

The Met Office keeps the long-range (anything more than five days in the future) forecast deliberately vague because of the unpredictability of British weather.

They say: “Small events currently over the Atlantic can have potentially significant impacts on our weather in the UK in several days’ time.”