UK winter forecast: Powerful windstorms to cause power cuts, travel disruption in 1st half of season
By Jillian MacMath, AccuWeather staff writer
October 30, 2017, 6:58:06 AM EDT
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As autumn comes to a close, meteorologists are predicting a stormy winter season ahead for the United Kingdom.
The first half of winter is predicted to be the most active for windstorms with the strongest occurring across coastal regions and areas of higher terrain.
With these storms will come an increased risk for coastal flooding and beach erosion, especially in areas that have experienced significant flooding over the past few years.
“Cities that should be on alert this winter include Liverpool, Cardiff, Plymouth and Portsmouth,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Tyler Roys said.
The strongest storms of the winter will threaten to cause widespread travel disruption along with significant power cuts.
February to April will bring reprieve from the wind, however, as high pressure dominates across Scandinavia and northwestern Russia.
This weather pattern will send cold shots into the U.K. late in the season.
Though the cold air will feel harsh following the winter’s mild start, average temperatures won’t stray far from normal.
“Temperatures for the season overall are actually predicted to average out close to normal or slightly above,” Roys said.
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Despite the chilly end to winter, days that feature snow and ice will total fewer than normal.
Belfast, Northern Ireland, usually records 15 days with snow and/or ice and Birmingham, England, usually experiences 23.
This year, the cities are predicted to average much below normal with between only 5 and 11 days featuring ice and/or snow.
Glasgow, Scotland, and London, England, are also set to receive a below-normal number of snow/ice days, with predictions of only 8-14 and 3-7 days, respectively.
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