Wirral Weather

What is the beast from the east and how will it affect Merseyside ?

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The beast from the east is the phrase used to describe cold and wintry conditions arriving over the UK from an Easterly direction.

The change in the jet streams position has allowed colder winds from Russia to hit the UK, resulting in a drop in temperatures.

As temperatures will be at the lowest for several years, Public Health England has issued health warnings as vulnerable people could be affected by the freezing weather to come.

READ MORE: Public Health England issue ‘cold weather can still kill’ warning as temperatures set to plummet on Merseyside

How will it affect Merseyside ?

Temperatures will be around 5C at the weekend and with the gusty winds it will feel closer to a bitterly cold -5C at times.

By Wednesday temperatures wont climb above 0C during the day and there could be nightly lows of just -4C, with the weather feeling closer to -7C at times.

With the unusually cold weather comes a risk of snow, although forecasters do point out that its too early to tell where will see snow at the moment.

However, the greatest chances of snow are pointing to late next week, as an area of low pressure could bump into the cold air, dumping a significant amount of snow across the UK.

READ MORE: Freezing weekend ahead for Merseyside as the Beast from the east arrives, but there is some good news

The Met Office said that the cold snap “could even last into mid march”, with the forecaster predicting that “locally significant snowfalls are likely”.

They said: “Strong winds will make it feel bitterly cold at times. Widespread, locally severe frosts are likely.

“The cold weather will continue into early March, with the northwest seeing the best of any brighter weather”

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