UK braces for snowstorm in March affecting 24 counties

A LARGE snowstorm spanning 337 miles is expected to hit the UK in March, with up to 24 counties likely to be affected, according to forecasts from WX Charts and Met Desk.

The snowfall, predicted for Tuesday, 11 March, is expected to impact nine counties in England: Cumbria, Lancashire, Northumberland, North Yorkshire, North Lincolnshire, West Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, and Staffordshire, reported Yorkshire Live.

In Scotland, 15 regions are forecast to be affected, including Argyll and Bute, Stirling, Perth and Kinross, Angus, West Dunbartonshire, East Dunbartonshire, South Lanarkshire, North Lanarkshire, East Ayrshire, South Ayrshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Renfrewshire, East Renfrewshire, Glasgow, and the Scottish Borders.

BBC meteorologist Sarah Keith-Lucas noted that snow in March is more common in the UK than in December. Speaking to Birmingham Live, she said, "The 'transition' seasons of spring and autumn can bring very variable weather. In fact, in the UK, it is more likely to snow in March than it is in December."

She added that early March will likely bring wet and windy weather in the north and west, while the south is expected to remain drier.

Netweather TV forecasts that late March will see more settled conditions, with above-average temperatures. It predicts temperatures could be 0.5 to 1.0 degrees Celsius higher than the 1991-2020 average in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and western England, with East Anglia and the southeast possibly seeing an increase of up to 2 degrees Celsius.

Western parts of the UK, particularly western Scotland and northwest England, may experience above-normal rainfall, while eastern areas could see average or slightly lower precipitation levels. Sunshine levels are expected to be above normal in eastern Britain and slightly above normal in the west.