London could be set for another blanketing of snow to end the first working week of 2026 for many
The snow wall is characterised by purple shading, meaning the darker the shading, the heavier the snow(Image: WX Charts)
A significant weather map shows a massive wall of snow heading straight for London this week. Forecasters at WX Charts are predicting the mega freeze to cover London at around 9am this Friday (January 9).
The risk of snow is characterised by purple shading, meaning the darker the shading, the stronger the chances and the heavier the amount of snow predicted. It is set to arrive from a south-westerly direction and sweep across the South and Midlands before heading to northern France.
Snow predictions are corroborated by the BBC’s long-range forecast, which also suggests a layer of the white stuff is on the horizon. It reads: “On Friday there is a hint of a deeper low-pressure system passing somewhere across the southern half of the UK, with snow on its northern edge and rain to the south. A blustery, changeable and chilly weekend should follow.”
Temperatures are set to drop to as low as -3C overnight in London into Tuesday (January 6)(Image: Hesther Ng/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
It comes as London is one of the few places in the UK today (Monday, January 5) to not have been hit with a weather warning. The Met Office has issued a series of yellow warnings of snow and ice, and amber warnings of snow across Britain.
The yellow warnings cover Northern Ireland, Wales, the Midlands, East Anglia, and various parts of the north. This means there is a chance of injury from slips and falls as well as potential train delays.
While the amber warnings cover various parts of northern Scotland. This is slightly more serious as it means there is a ‘good chance’ of rural communities ending up isolated.
There is also a likelihood of power cuts and train cancellations. This week’s London weather, according to the BBC, can be found below.
BBC Weather forecast for London this week
- Today (Monday, January 5) – High of 2C with a low of -4C, sunny and a gentle breeze.
- Tuesday, January 6 – H4C L2C, sunny intervals and light winds.
- Wednesday, January 7 – H5C L2C, sunny intervals and a gentle breeze.
- Thursday, January 8 – H7C L4C, light rain and light winds.
- Friday, January 9 – H6C L1C, light rain and a moderate breeze.
- Saturday, January 10 – H5C L4C, light rain and light winds.
- Sunday, January 11 – H9C L6C, light rain showers and a gentle breeze.
Why is forecasting snow in London so difficult?
In London snow is less likely to fall than in areas further north. But what some people may have noticed is that while you didn’t even get a dusting of snow in you street, neighbours just minutes away cars covered in the white stuff.
It turns out there’s quite a simple reason for this oddity. It’s all because temperatures are much warmer at ground level than they are even just 25 metres up in the air, meaning we might see rain when seconds ago the precipitation was snow.
Weather expert Ian Currie told MyLondon: “Snow is very dependant on the height of where you are. For every 50 feet, 15 metres or so, you get higher up there is an increased likelihood of an extra day of snow.
“So if you take parts of South Croydon for example, Sanderstead and Selsdon, you are likely to get 10 more days of snow a year there than parts in the north of Croydon. It can change that much in a small distance. Again out by Biggin Hill there is much more chance of getting snow than Streatham or Tooting for example.”
This is why it’s so difficult to forecast snow accurately – just a few degrees difference in temperature will make the difference between us seeing snow or rain.
Mr Currie added: “We’re talking about very dynamic, complex systems. A weather front could be thousands and thousands of miles away, but if it arrives just a little bit off the predicted path, the weather can be totally different.”
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