FEARS that Jersey could be about to experience a deluge of snow may be unfounded.
Towards the end of this week, weather patterns are expected to shift into what forecasters describe as an Arctic Maritime flow, where colder air moves southwards from the far north.
This is likely to produce heavy snow showers across parts of the UK, with a New Year’s Day weather warning having been issued across some part of the north of England and Scotland.
But, Jersey’s Met Office has said the chances of snow affecting the Island remain very low.
A spokesperson for the Met Office said the most likely scenario for the Island is bitterly cold conditions, with occasional rain showers.
“For us, however, the most likely scenario is just some cold weather with the odd rain shower, and just the slightest chance of some sleet or maybe a few snowflakes over the weekend/start of next week,” they said.
The Met Office stressed that forecasts are still highly uncertain and can change considerably between different weather models and updates.
They have also urged caution over online weather charts circulating on social media, which suggests snowfall on or around Thursday 8 January.
“Although there is a small signal for snow affecting the Island early next week, the output this far out can change a lot between different weather models and model runs,” the spokesperson said.
In recent days, forecasters have indicated a range of possible scenarios for next week, but the overall trend has shifted away from wintry conditions.
“Over the last few days, we have seen a number of different scenarios for next week, and on the whole these seem to be trending away from anything more wintry, with a more consistent signal for milder conditions from mid-next week.”
Instead, there is a stronger and more consistent signal for milder weather returning from the middle of next week.
While Jersey Met Office has said that they “can’t completely rule out snow”, forecasters estimate the possibility at just 5 to 10% later this week.
Even then, they explained that temperatures would need to drop further for any snowfall to settle on the ground.
Beyond that, forecasters say “a small chance remains” for snowy weather, but uncertainty is “still too great” to make any firm predictions, and Islanders are advised to keep monitoring the latest forecasts.
