'Beast from the East 2' to hit the UK and could bring snow showers to Hemel Hempstead

A second Beast from the East, complete with heavy snow and freezing temperatures, could be heading for Hemel Hempstead next week.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

The first Beast from the East caused havoc across the town in February 2018, with schools closed and travel chaos.

Today, the Met Office predicts a second frozen blast from Russia will hit Britain from the middle of next week, with the potential for heavy snow showers and plummeting temperatures.

High pressure will start to build to the north of Europe over the weekend, say Met Office experts.

Stock imageStock image
Stock image

Next week will begin with colder, potentially snowy weather but by midweek temperatures could drop further.

On the BBC long range weather forecastit says: "In mid-February, high pressure is expected to remain over Scandinavia throughout the week, keeping things rather cold. This setup is similar to the classic "Beast from the East" from 2018, and there is potential for some heavy snow showers for eastern areas for the first half of the week.

"This is very sensitive to the strength of the high to the northeast, so it is still a bit too early to accurately predict snow amounts, but the greatest chances are in the eastern and central parts of Britain.

"We have high confidence that the high pressure system will develop, and it will turn colder than normal. The coldest days will tend to be around midweek as the air from Russia finally arrives in force.

"The main risk to the mid-February forecast is for the easterly winds to linger for longer into the second half of the week if the high pressure system stubbornly remains over Scandinavia. This would make for a very cold, windy week across the country, but more so for eastern areas where it will feel very raw outside."