Britain's barmy weather: Snow, but it's still the warmest January on record so far

Updated
 Snow in UK but it's still the warmest January on record so far
Snow in UK but it's still the warmest January on record so far

Perthshire, Scotland/PA

Snow may be forecast for many parts of the UK this week - but weather experts say we're still on course for one of the warmest Januarys on record.

Temperatures as high as 13C are expected in the south today - the normal temperatures for April - but the mercury is set to drop again, with up to four inches of snow forecast for parts of northern England and Scotland tomorrow morning (Thursday).

The recent "cold snap" has seen temperatures fall dramatically around the UK. In the Scottish town of Aboyne, temperatures plummetted to -10.5C, while Chesham in Buckinghamshire hit lows of -9C this week.

Britain's barmy weather: Snow, but it's still the warmest January on record so far
Britain's barmy weather: Snow, but it's still the warmest January on record so far

January rose in bloom, York/PA

At the same time, reports abound of Spring coming early, with plants and flowers blooming months early all over the country.

"Tomorrow, we're looking at up to 5-10cm snow north of Penines, and highlands up to 15 -20 cm," a Met Office spokesman told AOL Travel.

Britain's barmy weather: Snow, but it's still the warmest January on record so far
Britain's barmy weather: Snow, but it's still the warmest January on record so far

Tuesday's sunset in Avebury, Wiltshire/PA

"Looking at January, half-month figures show it has been a mild start to 2012 – with UK mean temperatures 2.1 °C above average.

"This gives a mean of 5.5 °C, which – if it stayed the same – would place it as one of the warmer January's in climate records which go back to 1910.

"However, we have to be very cautious about using half-monthly statistics as they don't really tell us much – things can change dramatically in the second half of a month so it is far too early to make any judgements."

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