BIG FREEZE: Is Sheffield about to see a repeat of epic record-breaking blizzard which buried city under two feet of snow in 2010?

VIDEO AND PICTURES: The day Sheffield and South Yorkshire was buried in record snowfallFrom Sunday temperatures will plummet and the big freeze is being caused by a huge area of high pressure sitting over northern and western Europe.

The weather system - nicknamed the ‘Beast from the East’ - has been caused by a phenomenon known as Sudden Stratospheric Warming (SSW).

The high pressure system will syphon freezing cold air from Siberia over the UK.

A danger to life and colder than Iceland: How cold will it get and when will the Beast from the East arrive in Yorkshire?Hard frosts are certain overnight through most of next week and temperatures will struggle to get above freezing even during the daytime.

The last time the UK saw such a bitter cold snap was March 2013 when nearly a foot of snow blanketed Sheffield. Like next week’s cold snap the big freeze of March 2013 was triggered by SSW.

Another SSW event in December 2010 saw a 36 hour blizzard bury Sheffield in upto two feet of snow - the most ever recorded in the city.

So will next week’s ‘Beast from the East’ see a repeat of that epic snowfall?

Forecasters are predicting that parts of the UK are very likely to see ‘disruptive’ and significant snowfall next week.

However, they add that at this stage it is too early for them to be sure exactly when the snow will fall and which parts of the country will bear the brunt of it.