Britain braces for snow and flooding during ‘rollercoaster’ week

Snow and flooding are forecast to hit as the UK braces for a ‘rollercoaster’ week of weather (Pictures: PA/LNP)

The UK is set for a ‘rollercoaster’ week of weather with everything from unseasonably warm conditions to floods, snow and freezing temperatures.

Mild and pleasant weather at the start of the week will give way to rain and frost come Thursday. 

Further downpours will add to the already sodden ground after the heavy rain over the weekend.

Some parts of England were already under water yesterday as relentless showers brought localised floods to West Sussex.

The Environment Agency had 25 flood warnings in place in England on Sunday afternoon, stretching from the south-west coast in Cornwall to the north-west in Carlisle.

Weather warnings are also in place as ‘heavy and prolonged rain’ is expected to bring flooding to parts of north-western Scotland on Tuesday.

A spell of snow could also be seen in mountainous regions in the north-west of England and Scotland.

The Met Office has said the mercury will be significantly colder on Thursday compared to Wednesday, plunging by as much as 7C across all areas of the UK.

The week will begin mild for many in southern parts of England and Wales, with the temperature rising to an unseasonable high of 17C on Tuesday and Wednesday due to an ‘ex-tropical storm’ impacting the Mediterranean.

A windsurfer makes carries his board through a flooded street in Bosham, West Sussex on Sunday (Picture: PA)

Dog walkers navigate the floods while out for a stroll in Bosham on Sunday (Picture: PA)

Waves batter the seafront in Aberystwyth, Wales on Sunday (Picture: LNP)

High tide, gale force winds and massive waves battered the Welsh seaside resort of Aberystwyth on Sunday (Picture: LNP)

Tom Morgan, a meteorologist at the Met Office, said: ‘It’s going to be a bit of a rollercoaster next week with a spell of unsettled weather on the way.

‘It will be fairly mild on Monday to Wednesday, especially in the southern regions, and will be a lot brighter and drier than what we’ve seen across the weekend, though rain will still come and go.

‘It’s a different story for the rest of the UK, which will be considerably colder and wetter, with up to 150mm of rainfall expected in mountainous regions of Northern Ireland, Scotland and northern England.’

Mr Morgan advised people living in these areas to check the Met Office website in advance to take the necessary precautions for potential flooding which could bring delays to public transport and damage to buildings.

Maps showing how the weather will play out over the course of the day (Picture: Met Office)

The weather forecast for the UK this morning (Picture: Met Office)

People walk their dog on Boscombe beach in Dorset during heavy rain on Saturday (Picture: PA)

Some ventured out despite the downpours on Boscombe beach in Dorset (Picture: PA)

By Thursday all parts of the UK would have seen a significant drop in temperature, with highs in London predicted to fall some 7C over a day.

Mr Morgan added: ‘What we will see on Thursday is very windy and severe gales, and even some snow in the mountainous regions of Scotland which could make for very unpleasant conditions.

‘The south of England could also become fairly frosty as a jet stream of low pressure begins to move down from Scandinavia dragging the temperature down to a high of 9C (48.2F).’

MORE: Snow to hit UK next week as temperatures plummet across country

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