Alert! It could snow in London next week

UPDATE: After snow on Monday January 8, more snowfall and a ‘deep freeze’ have been predicted for London next week. Find out more about that here. 

London is hardly one of the UK’s snowiest places, but that didn’t stop many of us hoping for a white Christmas. However, while the city’s chionophiles would have been a bit disappointed with 2023’s non-existent offering of snow, fans of building snowmen and making snow angels are in luck – possibly. 

After a balmy festive season, temperatures are set to drop over the next few days, but there’s a bit of contention about when and how much snow might be in order for the capital. 

A map from WXCharts was shared on X (fka Twitter), which forecasts a ‘wall of snow’ covering London from Sunday January 7. The website predicts up to three cm of snow will fall per hour from midday, until around 6pm. 

Other forecasters, however, have got different predictions about the likelihood of a dusting. AccuWeather is predicting signs of snow a little later, instead on Thursday January 18 and Friday 19 with the temperature dropping as low as -3C. 

But just to throw another snowy spanner in the icy works, neither the BBC nor the Met Office agree with WXCharts, or even with each other. 

The BBC’s experts are forecasting light rain and breeze on Sunday 14, but the Met Office say there’s a chance of snow from as early as this Sunday January 7, with a greater-than-normal risk of ice and snow on Wednesday January 17.

It’s a bit all over the place, but no matter which forecaster is accurate, it sounds like we’re in for a chilly couple of weeks. 

Given the tube strikes mean many of us might be walking or cycling to work next week, make sure to wrap up, keep an eye out for icy patches, and stay up to date with the latest forecasts – or just look outside, as that might be more accurate. 

Here are the best things to do in London when it snows, plus some snowy songs to get you in the mystical, wintery mood. 

Did you see that a Queen Elizabeth II memorial garden is coming to Regent’s Park?

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