The Met Office has given its verdict on claims a "polar vortex" will bring a deep freeze across the UK just in time for Valentine's Day.
The weather service has rebuffed some weather maps which show a “stratospheric polar vortex” is about to plunge the country into temperatures well below freezing in a weather event reminiscent of 2018’s "Beast from the East", saying there is “there is no suggestion of anything similar to the significant cold spell in 2018”.
Stephen Dixon, a spokesperson for the Met Office, told Chronicle Live: "Signals in mid-February suggest that some cooler weather with more frost and fog will return, especially in southern areas of the UK, but signals for snow show that there’s nothing beyond what we would normally expect for this time of year”.
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The Met Office long range UK forecast for February 2-11 predicts some "uncertainty" with the "most likely scenario" seeing showers and rain and strong winds to the north, with the wettest conditions in the northwest. The south, meanwhile, is "more likely to remain largely dry with lighter winds".
Moving later into the month, forecasts suggest a "continuation of the regional divide between the north and south", with more "unsettled" weather in the north.
Throughout the month of February, temperatures are likely to remain around average or slightly above for the time of year.
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