Beast from the East 2021 map: Where will the cold weather and snow blast hit?

BRITAIN will be hit with heavy snow this week as freezing temperatures are set to plunge to -10C in some areas.

And forecasters fear a major sudden polar vortex event could trigger another "Beast from the East".

⚠️ Read our UK weather live blog for the very latest news and forecasts.

Where will the Beast from the East hit in 2021?

Forecasters suggest a new "Beast from the East" could hit Britain with "significant" snow and -5C daytime temperatures for two months.

Freezing conditions similar to those which caused the phenomenon in 2018 are forming, with experts warning we could be battered once more.

Today (January 12), it will be cold and clear day for most Brits.

Cloud, rain and milder air across the south of the UK will become confined to the southwest of England and west Wales.

However the yellow weather warning that was in place across the north of England, Northern Ireland and Scotland on January 12 has been lifted.

There is a yellow weather warning in place for northern parts of the UK from 5am Wednesday morning until 9pm Thursday night.

According to the Met Office, there is a "chance of a period of heavy snow across this region" which has been warned to cause significant travel disruption.

The Met Office has also warned of power cuts in parts of Northern England and Scotland on Thursday, January 14, due to heavy snowfall.

It added: "There is a small chance of travel delays on roads with some stranded vehicles and passengers, along with delayed or cancelled rail and air travel.

"There is a slight chance that some rural communities, mainly those at higher elevations, could become cut off."

Meteorologists have confirmed a sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) event is happening over the Arctic, which is what happened before the Beast from the East three years ago.

The Met Office have warned that heavy rain and melting snow may bring flooding and disruption for parts of Scotland.

Eleven flood alerts are also in place across the northeast, east, and southwest.

The yellow weather warnings are in place until January 14.

From January 15, unsettled conditions will develop across the UK, bringing spells of rain to many areas, perhaps, accompanied by strong winds, the Met Office said.

Temperatures fell to -15C in some spots in early January, with yellow warnings issued for most of the country by the Met Office.

Where has the Beast from the East come from?

The weather event happens when the temperature in the stratosphere soars by 50C.

This reverses Britain's wind pattern – bringing in freezing blasts from Siberia, Russia.

Winds from Siberia push in from the east, causing the mercury to plummet – with even daytime temperatures struggling to rise above zero.

It generally takes two weeks to see the effects of a "sudden stratosphere warning" (SSW) which causes the Beast from the East.

These "SSWs" cover a larger area and can move south to Canada, the USA and Europe, increasing the risk of air temperatures decreasing to potentially dangerous levels.

What happened in the last Beast from the East? 

During the last Beast from the East in February 2018, winds swept in from Siberia – bringing 20in of snow and the coldest March day on record.

The Beast from the East combined with Storm Emma to cause havoc in the UK for a month, bringing heavy snowfall to large areas.

The Met Office issued red weather warnings of a danger to life as the storm's 70mph winds hit the polar vortex — bringing deadly snowdrifts and a -15C windchill.

It took water companies days to restore supplies to most customers after weather-related problems.

Meanwhile, BBC meteorologist Ben Rich told the Mirror that a new weather system will push its way across the country overnight into Thursday, January 7, "taking some rain, sleet and snow with it".

He said: “Just about anywhere, you could see some rain, some sleet, and some snow – could even be some snow to quite low levels.”

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