UK weather: Date snow could fall as Met Office warn ‘sudden stratospheric warming’ will bring icy conditions

BRITS are bracing for snow as the Met Office warns "sudden stratospheric warming" could bring more icy weather.

The UK was hit by freezing fog this morning bringing delays to roads and flight cancellations.

And a yellow warning for snow and ice covers the north of Scotland from 4pm today to 9am tomorrow.

Drivers were warned to take extra care on the roads due to reduced visibility.

And icy conditions may well continue, with the Met Office warning of an imminent "sudden stratospheric warming" (SSW).

The forecaster's website states: "The latest forecasts are showing that a major SSW is now likely to take place.

";The recent minor SSW weakened the SPV and it’s now likely to collapse and reverse in the middle of February."

An SSW refers to a sudden warming up in the stratosphere, the area found between six and 30 miles above the earth’s surface.

It is so high up that we do not feel it, but it has a knock-on effect to the jet stream - which affects weather down below.

The Met Office has said there is an 80 per cent chance of a major SSW occurring, and this will likely impact our weather at the end of February or the start of March.

SSWs have happened before. The Beast from the East in February 2018 was sparked by an SSW.

And while this could bring snow and ice again, it is not guaranteed to.

The Met Office added: "However,  not all SSWs lead to cold weather and widespread snow for the UK, for example, the SSW in February 2018 led to the ‘beast from the east’ whereas the SSW in January 2019 had no significant impact for the UK weather, in fact, it stayed mild for the rest of the winter."

Prof Adam Scaife, head of long-range forecasting at the Met Office, said: “There is now over 80% chance of a major SSW occurring.

“Although the impact will become clearer nearer the time, any effect on UK weather is most likely to occur in late February and March.”

It comes as freezing fog sparked travel chaos this morning for Brits as flights were cancelled.

The forecaster warned of delays to journeys and flight cancellations - with visibility as low as 50 metres in parts.

More than a dozen flights at London City Airport were called off today.

The most recent SSW was in January 2021 in what was dubbed the "Beast from the East 2.0".

It was much less severe than the original "Beast from the East" in 2018 when temperatures dipped to a bone-chilling -14C.

SThey are not a new weather event and also happened in 2009, 2010 and 2013.