Arctic Blast May Bring Window Industry To A Standstill

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According to the ever-reliable Daily Mail, a 742-mile-long arctic blast next week could make it impossible to install windows – even if suppliers could beat the snowdrifts to deliver them.

The Mail’s Lauran O'Toole says: “Conditions are set to plunge to below freezing bringing with it a substantial amount of snowfall and ice. At 12:00pm on 21 November the bulk of the snow is forecast to hit Scotland.” A comment on O’Toole’s article claims the latest snow maps show a giant 500-mile (down from 742 miles) storm stretching from England to Germany, while another says the UK will suffer 4 days of Artic chill with temperatures as low as -2 in the North and just 1 degree Celsius in Somerset.

30 centimetres

O’Toole says the Highlands and Tayside will be worst hit ‘with a whopping 30cm [of snow] predicted to fall’. She continues: “The North-East and West of England alongside Edinburgh could also see a drenching of snow with a maximum 10cm forecast by 22 November.
“Manchester and Plymouth could see 2cm of snow while the South-West and South-East could see 1.5cm of the white stuff.” London will narrowly miss out on seeing snow but this won’t be for long. As only 12 hours later, at midnight on Friday November 22, the capital could see 1.5cm.”

A more reliable forecast
The Met Office, which most reliable forecasters such as the TV news channels utilise, is actually predicting less doom and gloom, stating that ‘high pressure and dry conditions dominate our weather this week but a change to a colder and more unsettled period is likely over the weekend and into the start of next week’.

And here is the weather forecast
High pressure is continuing the largely dry theme we’ve seen through much of November so far, albeit with some more persistent rain likely for parts of western Scotland from Friday 15 November. 

A marked change to more unsettled and also colder weather is expected over the weekend, as high pressure gradually subsides and allows winds to start to come in from the north or north-west. Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Mark Sidaway says: “The high pressure that has been responsible for the mainly dry weather through much of this week (commencing 11 November 2024) will retrogress into the Atlantic as we get towards the weekend. This will gradually introduce more unsettled weather, initially in the North from Friday but more widely from Sunday.

“In addition to increased rainfall, which could be heavy at times on Sunday, temperatures will also drop, especially for those in Scotland, as a northerly airflow develops, bringing colder Arctic air to some northern areas. “This shift does introduce the possibility of snow, initially over high ground in the North from Sunday, with gusty winds also a potential hazard. There is a lot of uncertainty by Sunday, yet there remain a number of scenarios which could bring some more widespread rain, along with some hill snow and stronger winds. Warnings for winter hazards are possible later in the weekend, so it’s important to stay up to date with the latest forecast.”

Picture: The Met Office offers a Deep Dive into the forthcoming weather.

Article written by Cathryn Ellis
13th November 2024

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