Temperatures dipped below freezing overnight as the Met Office warned snow could lash Britain in March and the northern lights stunned sky watchers across the UK.
The Met Office issued an advisory for a major sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) earlier this month, a sharp rise in temperatures that causes a high-pressure lockdown, for late February and early March.
And the forecaster has now warned of the possibility of snow and wind combining to cause disruption in the UK next month.
It came when the aurora borealis was seen in the sky last night, and the Met said it’s likely to be visible again tonight. Stunning images taken across the country showed purple and pink skies around sunset.
“The Northern Lights may be visible as far south as central England tonight where skies remain clear,” the Met Office tweeted. “The Northern Lights are also likely to be seen again on Monday night.”
Pictured on Sunday night is the Northern Lights over Crosby Beach on the Merseyside coast north of Liverpool.
The Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) seen from Sheerness in North Kent last night
A high-velocity stream from the coronal hole hit Britain on Sunday evening, combined with a fairly rapid coronal mass ejection, leading to Northern Lights sightings across the UK.
The Met Office tweeted a series of photographs taken by members of the public that captured the light phenomenon on North Uist in Scotland, North Wales, Cambridgeshire and Shropshire.
He encouraged users to upload photos of any other sightings using the LoveUKWeather hashtag.
Royal Museums Greenwich explains on its website that the lights are caused by solar storms on the sun’s surface that emit clouds of electrically charged particles that can travel millions of miles and collide with Earth.
Most of the particles are deflected, but some are captured in Earth’s magnetic field and accelerate toward the north and south poles, colliding with atoms and molecules in Earth’s atmosphere, according to the observatory.
The lights are the product of this collision between atoms and molecules of the earth’s atmosphere and particles of the sun.
In November last year, strong displays of light were seen across Scotland.
A Met Office spokesman said the rare northern lights sightings further south in the UK on Sunday night were due to the “strength” of a geomagnetic storm and the “strip of cloudless skies” in the southern regions. .
Incredible photos taken at Johnston Loch, Gartcosh, Scotland around 11pm last night.
A Northern Lights display from South Shields/Souter lighthouse, Tyne and Wear
Photographer John Trueman said: ‘I was out tonight at Findhorn in Moray, Scotland. The sky went from a dull glow in the distance to an explosion of colors and patterns weaving across the night sky, one of the best I’ve ever seen. since 2016.’
The mercury was forecast to drop to -8C in Scotland overnight as temperatures dipped below average to start March.
The north and east coasts are expected to experience the bulk of winter conditions by the end of this week, before snow and rain move west.
Today starts on a frosty note, especially in Scotland and parts of southern England, the Met Office said.
“It will be dry for many but some showers will move to the east of England, the Midlands and Wales at times,” the forecaster added.
The Met Office forecast for today says it will be cloudy with scattered light showers and some brighter breaks. The western, and especially the northwestern, areas will be the sunniest.
Cloudy conditions will continue tomorrow with Scattered showers in the eastern and central areas. Frost will hit North West Scotland.
Wednesday through Friday looks settled but still cloudy, the forecast says, with showers continuing in the northern and eastern coastal areas. It will be cold with light winds.
It comes as bookmakers cut the odds that March will be the coldest on record.
Ladbrokes’ Alex Apati told the Mirror: “The arrival of the Beast from the East has forced us to reduce the odds that next month will play host to the coldest march on record.”
The Met Office forecast today: cold and windy conditions in Britain
Looking ahead to March 3-12, a spokesman for the Met Office said Britons faced the possibility of snow.
‘It is likely to be mostly cloudy on Friday with some light rain in places, although some clear or sunny spells are still possible.
“Through the weekend, settled conditions are expected to continue, bringing variable clouds with some clear and sunny periods,” the outlook says.
“The rains mainly along the northern and eastern coasts could be winter in the foothills. Later in the period, the high pressure is expected to migrate to the northwest, increasing the probability of winter showers in the north and east.
“There is a small chance that more organized rain or snow will spread to the south, and the west and northwest are more likely to remain under a stable regime.
‘Generally light to moderate winds, possibly becoming stronger in the north. Generally cooler than average temperatures, with a chance of frost overnight.
Forecasters earlier warned of a weather event that could bring severe winter weather similar to the ‘Beast from the East’ storm that hit the UK with 22 inches of snow in 2018.
The Weather Bureau said there was an 80 percent chance of a sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) event in late February.