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Oct 06, 2023

Met Office issues update on Polar vortex is expected to hit UK

THE MET Office have issued an updated prediction for a "major weather event" taking place later this month.

Early warnings for a Polar vortex have been sounded - with forecasts looking at the end of February and start of March.

A polar vortex is a large area of low-pressure and cold air surrounding both of the Earth's poles. It weakens in summer and strengthens in winter.

Many of us will remember the notorious Beast from the East a couple of years ago when the country was pummeled by snow storms.

The UK has already experienced one such event in January, when the country suffered a cold snap - and now Met Office officials say another is due within weeks.

Of course, forecasts are never 100 per cent accurate, but Professor Adam Scaife, head of long-range forecasting at the Met Office, has been quoted as saying the chance of this happening are "over 80 per cent".

Experts say that a such weather patterns don't always equate to a 'Beast from the East' type scenario.

The Met Office have said that there was a similar event in 2019 that had little impact on the weather.

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