'Beast from the East' to hit London with 'coldest temperatures in years'

Brace yourselves Londoners for what could be one of the most severe cold snaps for several years, thanks to the 'Beast from the East'.

Cold air will be dragged across Britain, signalling the start of a prolonged wintry blast with winds from Siberia.

The Beast from the East should start to push through the UK during Sunday (February 25) and some forecast models indicate it could be one of the most severe cold spells for several years.

UPDATE:

Temperatures during the early part of this week reached 2-4C above normal for the time of year but a colder, drier spell is expected to take charge lasting through to the end of the month and well into March.

This will occur when high pressure from the west merges with even higher pressure over Scandinavia driving a cold north to north-easterly wind veering easterly through the remainder of the week.

Londoners will face freezing temperatures overnight on Thursday (February 22) before plunging to lows of -4C by March 5.

However, western areas will still enjoy a milder southerly flow for a short time as low pressure dominates from the Atlantic.

Forecaster Eleanor Bell, principal meteorologist at The Weather Channel , claimed even colder air is set to rip through the UK.

She said: “The high will strengthen over the weekend and drag in cold air from the east.

“Overnight frosts are expected as temperatures drop widely below freezing. Highs will be around 3 to 6C by the end of the week but 0 to 4C over the weekend and through next week, feeling much colder with a wind chill of around -4 to -8C.

“It will be largely dry with some good spells of sunshine. However, it will be cloudier along the east coast next week with some scattered snow showers expected in the onshore breeze.”

Dr Todd Crawford, chief meteorologist at The Weather Company, added: “Just when we had almost given up on the idea of a polar vortex split or breakdown in the stratosphere, it finally happened last week.

“The result will likely be an extended spell of cold and dry weather across much of Europe. This will be the first period of extended North Atlantic blocking in about five years, so the change should be quite noticeable.”

The Weather Company's three-month outlook is predicting March will remain colder than usual in the UK, with temperatures finally climbing in April and May.

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