Market News

(Bloomberg) -- The UK is preparing for a late-winter blast, with temperatures dropping to unusually low levels in the coming days and snow expected in parts of the country early next week. 

Snow and ice warnings are in place for Monday and Tuesday in northeastern parts of the UK as below-average temperatures are set to slide even further. The heaviest snowfalls will be in northern Scotland, but areas as far south as Lincolnshire will be impacted, the Met Office said Friday.

“Cold, blustery northerly winds will continue to drive frequent showers of snow and hail into these areas on Tuesday,” the national forecaster said.

A relatively mild winter has helped to keep energy prices in check so far this season, though the weather has been occasionally erratic. A cold snap hit parts of the country in December, and England just experienced its driest February in 30 years.

Temperatures in London are expected to be 6C below the seasonal average on Thursday, while in Manchester they will be 5.6C below normal on Wednesday, forecaster Maxar Technologies Inc. said in a daily note.

The late return of cold weather is partially due to a so-called sudden stratospheric warming, which can cause extreme cold in the Northern Hemisphere, according to the Met Office. Meteorologists saw signs of such warming taking place from late last month and expect its colder impacts to continue.

“There’s the risk of more widespread wintry showers into the beginning of next week across northern and eastern areas,” Atmospheric G2’s Amy Hodgson said.

--With assistance from Celia Bergin and William Mathis.

(Updates with latest Met Office forecast in second paragraph)