BBC Weather: Temperatures to 'drop substantially' warns Taylor

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The Beast from the East is staying put – it seems, but another colloquially named as the Troll from Trondheim is set to be responsible for the UK’s first batch of wintry showers in mere days. That’s according to Jim Dale from British Weather Services who claims the initial beast was actually a name he coined some 25 years ago. While speculation has arisen that the beast from Russia would bring the nation’s first snowfall – it’s actually a low pressure system from Norway which looks set to surge over the north of Great Britain by next week. 

Pinpointing an exact date as to when the colder conditions will start, Mr Dale exclusively told Express.co.uk the country will have just under a week’s grace before the snow risk evolves – with the north and Scotland set to cop the brunt of the ‘troll’s’ wrath. 

“You can feel now it’s starting to get a bit colder but it is just ordinary – I call that no man’s land which we will be in for the next five to six days yet,” he said. “In Scandinavia, north of Norway, pressure is starting to go low – and that low elongates and will move towards us carrying the cloud with it but also low pressure bringing precipitation which is bound to be snow. Scotland will be the first to taste this.”

The dates to be aware of are December 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15, he claimed. Mr Dale, a global meteorologist, said his certainty is based on more than one weather model. He added: “It is better to say now than miss it completely. The models are all starting to tell the same story.

“I think what’s happening is the low pressure zone is coming south and through the North Sea. We will see where it goes – whether it will affect the Midlands and south – which at the moment it probably will.”

Despite this current weather model adding a bit more clarity over the frontal system coming across to the UK over the next 14 days, Mr Dale says this makes the question mark over whether the nation will get a white Christmas that much stronger.

He added: “That will be the start of scraping the ice off the car – it will go from fridge to freezer which will be turned up a notch putting us in a very strong position for Christmas. That is still some time away – but it does set the scene in the run up. 

The freezing air from Scandinavia will be a catalyst for snow showers – big snow showers. This is December 1 – the first day of winter and it is all nicely timed, it’s interesting times.”

So far, the only forecast that exceeds Christmas Day is the long-range outlook from the Met Office. While it doesn’t explicitly predict snow, it certainly doesn’t rule it out. It says: “Confidence is low for this period, but overall settled and relatively dry weather is more likely than stormy weather.

“At this time of year frost and fog are common, and the chance of these, along with below-normal temperatures and spells of wintry precipitation, is slightly higher than usual. Conversely, heavy rain and strong winds are less likely than in a typical December.”

Addressing the watered-down risk of the Beast from the East hitting the UK in the coming days, a claim which predominantly came from Mr Dale, he told Express.co.uk: “This is not the Beast from the East – it’s not that one.

“The beast is going to stay where it is for now – we might even get a beast behind the troll. We could get an easterly from the troll’s backside but that is too far away to be certain.”

There is one factor which could stop such dramatic conditions coming to Britain, and that’s a westerly front coming off the Atlantic which may see temperatures increase from the freezing lows. He added: “But we could get a pest from the west coming up and doing battle with the two beasts. 

“If you put that in a freezing cold scenario you could end up with a right old mix of weather. You could get absolutely nothing or it could be mild and drizzly. At the moment we are right in the melting pot and it could go in several directions. But it is definitely going to get cold, I am 90 percent sure of that.

“It’s not just going to be us getting it, it’ll be Belgium, central Europe, it’s all in the melting pot.” If this comes off, he said this will almost replicate the run up to Christmas in the same way the Beast from the East did in December and January 2010/11.

While the full force of the snow, sleet and ice is yet to be seen, weather maps give some idea over what is expected. Early on December 10, snow looks set to hit Scotland but will be more widespread on December 11. Maps show snow could hit eastern England, the Midlands and even London from midday.

Edinburgh and Newcastle look set to be the first victims at the start of the new week with heavy snow hitting urban areas and low ground. 

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