Met Office forecasts snow for Stoke-on-Trent this weekend

Published 30/11/2023 · Updated 30/11/2023

Meteorologists believe the Potteries will see some snow this weekend – as the wintry blast tightens its chilly grip on the country. This week has seen warnings for snow and ice issued for various parts of the UK with a number of families already waking up to the white stuff. Now both the Met Office and BBC believe Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire will see light snow flurries in the early hours of Sunday morning as temperatures stay below freezing.

It comes as meteorologists say the UK is currently ‘sitting in cold air from Scandinavia’. Such is the drop in temperatures that the UK Health Security Agency has issued amber cold-health alerts for the north of the country with the Midlands – including the Potteries under a yellow alert. The latest forecast from the BBC suggests the cold temperatures will remain until at least Tuesday before Wednesday will see them creep up just slightly – bringing rain.

READ: Hammer-wielding dad’s terrifying attacks on man who feared he’d be killed | Now Christian Withers has been jailed at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court [1] READ: Biker has four motorbikes stolen in 15 months – now he’s ‘lost faith in police’ | Paul Wallace, from Norton, has even been slapped with a GBP1k fine – after one of his stolen bikes was seen tearing around a beauty spot [2] However the forecasts have been rapidly changing and the snow currently forecast for the early hours of Sunday may well change in the coming days.

As it stands the Beeb is predicting light flurries on December 3 from 4am through to around 10am with temperatures going from -1C to 0C. Meanwhile the Met Office says there will be a flurry at around 9am. The BBC believes some parts of the Moorlands – mainly around the Peak District border – will see light snow from 4am on Sunday straight through to noon.

It will then return at 4pm and keep going all the way through Monday where it will stay in place until the evening with temperatures only getting up to 1C at the highest.

Latest North Staffordshire forecast

According to the Met Office we will experience dry conditions in the Potteries between today and Saturday – but it will be cold. Each morning will see temperatures below zero before Friday night brings fog and overnight temperatures of -4C. However it will feel like -7C even by 9am on Saturday (December 2).

The BBC says there could be snow on Sunday morning in North Staffordshire

Saturday won’t get past 0C in and around Leek with the city seeing a ‘high’ of 1C by 3pm.

Both the Met Office is predicting some light snow in the early hours of Sunday with temperatures only getting up to 2C at the highest. WX Charts is also showing snow across North Staffordshire in the early hours of Sunday. Current maps from the service show those flurries continuing through the day.

WX Charts is showing snow in the early hours of Sunday for North Staffordshire on Sunday

The Beeb reckons it’ll be more cold weather on Monday and Tuesday before Wednesday (December 6) sees rain and a high of 5C.

Thursday will get up to 8C – again with rain and it’s a similar forecast for Friday (December 8).

Met Office: ‘UK is sitting in cold air from Scandinavia’

The Met Office says ‘much colder conditions’ are expected to affect the UK for the rest of this week and into the weekend. It comes as the country is ‘sitting in cold air from Scandinavia’. Some parts of the country including the North East and Yorkshire have already seen snow flurries this weekend.

While parts of Scotland have also experienced the white stuff.

How snow and ice will affect the UK (Image: Met Office)

Neil Armstrong, who is chief meteorologist with the Met Office, said: “We’ve already seen snow settling in parts of eastern Scotland and northeastern England. As the cold air continues to spread across the UK we also expect to see some snow over the high ground of southwest England overnight tonight and through tomorrow. “Snow showers will continue along the North Sea coast with a north easterly air flow, leading to further accumulations over higher ground.

Where the showers fall as rain there is a risk of icy patches forming overnight with temperatures widely dipping below freezing. A number of National Severe Weather Warnings have been issued and these are likely to be updated through the week so stay up to date with the forecast for your area.” The Met Office says snowfall in late autumn or early winter ‘doesn’t generally linger’ due to the ground temperatures staying ‘relatively high’.

In late winter the ground loses this warmth.

Snow and ice warnings in place

There are currently a number of snow and ice warnings across the UK. Yellow alerts are running down the east coast all the way from the Scottish highlands down to Chelmsford. An alert is also in place in the south west taking in most of Devon.

Meteorologists say affected areas could see some impact on the roads and rail networks where there may be wintry showers and ‘icy patches developing.

Snow and ice warnings in place across the UK (Image: Met Office)

Message to motorists

This week Staffordshire Police has already warning drivers not to leave their vehicles unattended while they defrost – after a car was stolen in such circumstances in Werrington.[3] Meanwhile the RAC has also issued some guidance to drivers. Rod Dennis, spokesman for the RAC, said: “We expect to see a sharp rise in breakdowns this week as cold weather is the nemesis of older car batteries.

It exposes any weaknesses in battery health and leads to a huge jump in the number of cars that won’t start.

Police have issued a warning not to leave your car unattended (Image: Getty)

“We urge every driver who has noticed their car is sluggish to start to get it checked by a reputable mobile mechanic or garage as soon as possible. Anyone who doesn’t, risks their car letting them down just at the very moment they need it, whether they’re heading to work or on the way to an important appointment. “We also strongly recommend drivers pack some winter gear should their cars let them down and they find themselves stuck in sub-zero temperatures.

Extra warm clothes, food and drink, plus a fully charged phone powerbank are all a must.”

References

^ Hammer-wielding dad’s terrifying attacks on man who feared he’d be killed | Now Christian Withers has been jailed at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court (www.stokesentinel.co.uk)
^ Biker has four motorbikes stolen in 15 months – now he’s ‘lost faith in police’ | Paul Wallace, from Norton, has even been slapped with a GBP1k fine – after one of his stolen bikes was seen tearing around a beauty spot (www.stokesentinel.co.uk)
^ after a car was stolen in such circumstances in Werrington. (www.stokesentinel.co.uk)
^ Sign up to our main daily newsletter here and get all the latest news straight to your inbox for FREE (data.reachplc.com)