UK weather latest: Gale-force gusts and new cold snap to hit Britain this week

Air from Siberia could bring 'polar conditions across the UK'

Parts of Britain are bracing for another week of disruptive weather as heavy rain and gale-force winds could give way to another cold snap by the weekend.

Southwest and western areas of the UK are likely to be “much wilder, much wetter, much windier” than normal by Wednesday before Siberian air is expected to sweep in once again from the East, according to Met Office forecaster Becky Mitchell.

Temperatures will reach a high of 11C to 12C on Monday and Tuesday and most places will see a mixture of cloud, rain and sun, before the wind starts picking up in the early hours of Wednesday.

The areas battered most powerfully by the “Beast from the East” and Storm Emma two weeks ago will again be hardest hit by this week’s weather.

Ireland, western Scotland, Wales and southwest England will see the strongest winds on Wednesday with gale-force gusts of up to 40 to 50mph.

“Through Wednesday, stronger winds will be spreading across the UK by the afternoon,” said Ms Mitchell. “But not everywhere will be gale force.”

Rain will accompany the wind in many areas with the most persistent downfalls in the western and southwestern parts of the UK, which will see “heavy bursts of rain” at times.

The strong winds will move further north on Thursday before a new wave of colder air from Siberia starts sweeping across the country, “potentially bringing polar conditions across the UK”.

Although unlikely to be as severe as the “Beast from the East”, temperatures will drop significantly and some areas will see snow, most likely in central and northern areas.

“As we enter spring, we expect temperatures to reach double figures,” Ms Mitchell said.

But the higher temperatures seen over the last few days look set to disappear and are unlikely to return before April.

According to Ms Mitchell, temperatures will remain lower than normal for the rest of March.

There are currently no weather warnings in place, but the Met Office is advising people in western areas to prepare for windier, wetter weather from Wednesday.