There are lots of reports that the UK could be hit by snow next week, but the most recent Met Office 10-day forecast has explained that different models are showing different scenarios.
The long range Met Office forecast for next week shows that it will be slightly colder than average and with bands of rain "short lived snow may follow".
The good news is that high pressure over the UK will mean that the weekend should be "dry and bright".
While it is still too early to say exactly what will develop next week, Met Office meteorologist Aiden McGivern explains that cold weather is being drawn in from the east but by the end of the week different models are showing different scenarios.
In the 10-day forecast, he said: "For the start of next week, low pressure is really trying to get in from the west. It's coming up against the high pressure, which will increasingly draw cold air in on its southern flank. Interesting things could happen through next week because of that.
"By Wednesday, it's looking increasingly messy as far as the jet streams are concerned. We've got a dominant high to the east, and the Jetstream really can't get around it. It splits and there's a branch that dives to the south, another branch that goes up over the UK and in between these weather systems, there are low pressure systems.
"They're not going to rattle across the UK particularly quickly because they're being stuck against that high pressure. It's a blocking area of high pressure. It's also bringing increasingly cold air in from the east."
Explaining what the forecast models are showing, he says: "We don't just run the computer model once we run it 50 times we make subtle changes at the start of the forecast to see how much those changes escalate into bigger differences in the future. Sometimes they really escalate into bigger difference, sometimes they don't so much. So it gives us a measure of how uncertain the forecast is.
"For next week, there are two camps basically - one really quite cold and one, much milder. It's the milder ones that a moment is supported by more computer model runs, and as a result, it looks more likely.
"So, the most likely scenario for next week is that after a cold snap at the start of the week, it then turns milder once again, with a return to wind and rain from the Atlantic. But as that clashes with the cold air, there is always the chance of a brief spell of snow on the leading edge especially over hills around central parts of the UK
"But you wouldn't discount the less likely outcome. It's still possible that it will turn even colder through next week staying mostly dry because of the influence of high pressure to the east, but with snow flurries likely especially around eastern and southern coasts. That's less likely, but not impossible."
The Met Office long-range UK outlook for Tuesday, March 8, to Thursday, March 17 says: " Mostly dry with clear and sunny spells to start the period, with outbreaks of rain arriving to the far west and southwest. Likely to become windy in the north and west with a risk of coastal gales.
"Bands of rain with short lived snow may follow, moving northeastwards and probably stalling across central areas at times, with some eastern areas remaining dry. Likely to become more unsettled through the period, with Atlantic weather systems perhaps bringing spells of wet and windy weather, interspersed with brief drier and brighter interludes.
"Rather cool or even cold across much of the UK, but temperatures may begin to recover to nearer normal from the west later in the period."
The forecast that goes up to the end of March says: "Likely another period of unsettled weather developing with Atlantic weather systems expected to move across the UK bringing spells of wet and windy weather interspersed by brief drier and brighter interludes.
"At times, winds could be disruptive, although snow is likely to become shorter-lived through the second half of the month. Towards the end of the month a north-south split may develop with high pressure across the south with more changeable conditions likely in the north. Temperatures are expected to trend above average, although some brief colder interludes are still expected."
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