Arctic blast to hit Wales

Jan 30 2008 by Sally Williams, Western Mail

AN ARCTIC blast with high winds is expected to hit Wales tomorrow with snow arriving on Friday.

The Met Office said the brief but severe cold snap was expected to last for around 24 hours, then heavy rain could turn into snow, especially on high ground.

Malcolm Weatherall, from the Met Office, said the drop in temperatures would come as a shock, at the end of what has been one of the “warmest and wettest Januaries on record”.

He said the cold front would blow in from the Arctic bringing daytime temperatures down to zero on high ground in Mid and North Wales.

He added, “Potentially there could be snow on Friday across North Wales, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire, with temperatures higher at around 5C in Cardiff and Swansea. There could be winds of up to 60mph and heavy rain too in the mountains.”

January was on course to become the UK’s wettest on record, experts revealed in the middle of the month, after 20 consecutive days of rain which led to flooding in parts of Mid and South Wales.

Derek Brockway, BBC television meteorologist, said 477.6 mm fell at Capel Curig in Snowdonia over the first 21 days of January, the average for the month is 270mm.

And 2007 was Wales’ and the UK’s second hottest year since records began, beaten only by the previous year’s record.