UK cold weather: 10 day freeze hits Britain as Arctic winds put nation in path of collapsing Polar Vortex ()

<iframe frameborder="0" height="100%" scrolling="no" src="https://www.gbnews.com/res/scraper/embed/?video_url=https%3A%2F%2Fmm-v2.simplestream.com%2Fiframe%2Fplayer.php%3Fkey%3D3Li3Nt2Qs8Ct3Xq9Fi5Uy0Mb2Bj0Qs%26player%3DGB003%26uvid%3D52806932%26type%3Dvod%26viously_id%3DyzpX18rJ0SV" width="100%"></iframe><br/><p>Britain will feel the bite of winter’s return for another 10 days as shifting Arctic winds put the nation in the path of a collapsing Polar Vortex.</p><p>Snow is back on the cards for parts of the country as "blocking" pressure patterns open the gates to northerly winds.</p><h3></h3><br/><p>Yo-yoing temperatures could plunge from highs of 20C over the weekend to freezing winter skies triggering "radiation frost".</p><p>Jim Dale, meteorologist for British Weather Services, said: “The diurnal, or 24-hour temperature contrasts, will be significant with a swap from the unseasonable 19C highs at the weekend back to single figures or lower through the week.</p><h3></h3><br/><img alt="Minimum temperatures across the UK on Wednesday" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3134949d7f0e02ccff895d49df1b27da" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="902b1" loading="lazy" src="https://www.gbnews.com/media-library/minimum-temperatures-across-the-uk-on-wednesday.png?id=56708613&width=980"/><h3></h3><br/><div class="embed-latest"></div><h3></h3><br/><p>“The Polar Vortex is coming down and this is going to make it feel wintry again, especially in the north and Scotland where there is the chance of snow.</p><p>“This colder weather is going to stick around for the next week to 10 days before there are any signs of the warmer weather returning.”</p><p>Spring could be blighted with outbreaks of cold as temperatures plunge under the steer of wind changes in the stratosphere.</p><p>For the past couple of weeks, experts have been watching a slowing of winds high above the Polar atmosphere.</p><p>They now think this may trigger a Sudden Stratospheric Warming (SSW) which can drive stubbornly cold spring weather.</p><strong>LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:<br/></strong><ul><li><a href="https://www.gbnews.com/weather/us-weather-pacific-storm-warnings-snow-torrential-downpours-blood-moon" target="_self">Pacific storm sparks warnings for snow and torrential downpours on night of blood moon</a></li><li><a href="https://www.gbnews.com/weather/uk-weather-temperatures-plunge-below-freezing-days-britain-warmest-day-2025" target="_self">Temperatures to plunge by over 20C as mercury dips below freezing just days after 2025's warmest day</a></li><li><a href="https://www.gbnews.com/weather/uk-weather-temperature-surge-britain-hotter-ibiza" target="_self">UK weather: Temperatures surge towards 20C as Britain 'hotter than Ibiza' ahead of 'Polar Vortex'</a></li></ul><h3></h3><br><img alt="Tumbling temperatures will likely lead to freezing conditions" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="e96b0f7334785876cb1883773820db55" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="d326a" loading="lazy" src="https://www.gbnews.com/media-library/tumbling-temperatures-will-likely-lead-to-freezing-conditions.jpg?id=56708615&width=980"/><h3></h3><br/><div class="embed-dontmiss"></div><h3></h3><br/><p>A SSW was behind the notorious 2018 Beast from the East, although a less severe cold snap is more probable.</p><p>However, SSW can cause ‘blocking patterns’ in the weather which encourage persistent northern and easterly winds.</p><p>Met Office meteorologist Aidan McGivern said: “We are likely to see this SSW where you get a big warming in the stratosphere above the North Pole and a reversal of the winds circulating around the North Pole.</p><p>“What that can do is it can encourage blocked weather patterns 10 days or 14 days further ahead.</p><p>“If this happens, then that more unsettled weather may not last that long before higher pressure returns.”</p><p>Britain is currently a battle ground between low pressure to the south and high pressure to the north over Iceland.</p><h3></h3><br/><div class="embed-mostread"></div><h3></h3><br/><img alt="WXCHARTS released its temperature anomaly graph" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b1a61905ab8536961fa3e670b9412b17" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="1eec3" loading="lazy" src="https://www.gbnews.com/media-library/wxcharts-released-its-temperature-anomaly-graph.png?id=56708618&width=980"/><h3></h3><br/><p>If high pressure wins, the most likely picture into mid-March, warmer temperatures would give way to a wintry flavour.</p><p>McGivern said: “We have a build of high pressure to the north, a blocked pattern, and when this occurs it can get stuck for quite a long time, and this is what we are expecting.</p><p>“To the north there is a cold high near Iceland, and to the south there is a mild low that is sitting close to Iberia brining some very wet and windy weather.</p><p>“We are likely to see higher pressure to the north of the UK and lower pressure to the south and the southwest.”</p><p>Temperatures will widely fall below freezing with clear overnight skies forming morning frosts.</p><p>Daytime warmth radiating rapidly after dark will lead to harsh ‘radiation frosts’ experts warn.</p><p>Dale added: “Temperatures will fall more significantly under clear skies overnight, and this will bring the risk of frosts to parts of the country.</p><p>“This is more likely in the north and Highlands of Scotland but demonstrates the dramatic change from the weekend.”</p></br>