Snow Sheffield: Conflicting reports from forecasters about whether -3C cold snap next week will bring flurries

There has been much speculation in national newspapers about whether a ‘sudden stratospheric warming’ event will bring with it a ‘beast from the east’ winter storm, with many titles warning large parts of England will be bombarded with “the worst snowfall in five years”.

Forecasts for Sheffield and South Yorkshire have so far been much calmer. Earlier this week (Feb 28), the Met Office predicted only a “small possibility” of snow between March 3 and 12, and beyond that the region “remaining largely snow free”.

Now, BBC Weather has contradicted this suggestion. Temperatures are expected to dip to below zero as of Sunday, and as of today (March 2), the BBC is predicting sleet and snow into next week.

It has forecast sleet on Sunday and Monday, followed by temperatures as low as -3C accompanied by ‘light snow’ on Tuesday, March 7. This would be followed by sunny but freezing weather on Wednesday, then more snow on Thursday, as well as on Saturday.

In contrast, the Met Office, maintains only that Sheffield will see heavy clouds and scattered patches of very light rain. It forecasts a likely chance of ‘wintry showers’ in the same period that, at times, will turn into “more organised bands of snow” – but that many others areas are “likely to remain dry with some sunshine”.

Both offices do agree, though, that Sheffield will feel a lot colder from this Friday. Temperatures are expected to dip to 0C overnight on Friday and Sunday, and will plummet on Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning. The Met Office even suggests that, between biting winds and other conditions, Tuesday and Wednesday could feel as low as -5C.

The short term forecast by the Met Office for Sheffield is as follows:

Thursday, March 2 – Heavy cloud with little chance of rain, highs of 7C, will feel like 5C. Mild breezes and dropping to 2C overnight.

Friday, March 3 –Heavy cloud with little chance of rain, highs of 6C, will feel like 4C. Mild breezes and dropping to 3C overnight.

Saturday, March 4 – Heavy cloud with little chance of rain, highs of 6C, will feel like 4C. Mild breezes and dropping to 3C overnight.

Sunday, March 5 – Heavy cloud with slightly higher chance of rain, highs of 5C, will feel like 2C. Mild breezes and dropping to 1C overnight.

Monday, March 6 – Cold snap sets in. Heavier cloud with predicted wintry showers in late afternoon. Highs of 5C but will feel like 1C or even 0C. Stiffer breezes, temperatures dropping to subzero overnight.

Tuesday, March 7 – Much colder. Lighter cloud and some sunshine, but will feel as low as -5C in the early morning and -1C much of the day. Stiff gusts as well reaching as high as 29mph will make this feel much worse. Little chance of rain, sub-zero temperatures overnight.

Wednesday, March 8 – Cold continues. Will again feel as low as -5C early morning and 1C during the day. Light cloud and sunny spells. Calmer breezes but still stiff at up to 22mph.