New weather maps suggest snow could hit many cities across England and Wales as early as Friday. WX Charts is forecasting a cold end to the week, with several major cities expected to see snowfall. Much of England and Wales is shown in purple on the new maps, indicating snowfall. Major cities set to be hit by snow at around 6am on Friday, February 6, include Manchester, Stoke on Trent, Birmingham, and Wrexham in Wales. 

Snow is also expected further north in Scotland, particularly in Aberdeenshire and Caithness. By midday, the snow is forecast to spread further north across England, potentially impacting cities such as Sheffield, Leeds, Derby, Nottingham, York and Bradford, as well as the Lake District. According to WX Charts data, some areas could see snowfall rates of up to 3.9 inches per hour.

However, the Met Office‘s forecast for Thursday to Sunday reads: “Staying unsettled through the week with further outbreaks of cloud and rain. Brief bright spells in places with more hill snow expected across northern parts later.”

The national meteorological service has previously warned about the challenges of predicting snow more than a few days in advance.

The Met Office stated: “In many temperate countries such as the UK, a small amount of snow can cause all sorts of disruption. But it can also be very challenging to predict.

“There are lots of factors involved in determining whether rain or snow will be falling from the sky, such as elevation, distance from the coast and precipitation intensity as explained in this animation.”