Is Britain set for worst winter in 100 years?

Britain set for coldest winter in 100 years?

Britain is going to endure its coldest winter for 100 years with an Arctic freeze, storms and gales to hit the UK within weeks, according to some forecasters.

The Expressreports that calculations by Italian scientists Riccardo Valente and Professor Judah Cohen, who have measured the October Pattern Index (OPI), signal that this winter will be particularly severe.

It suggests that a weak jet stream which usually holds the cold at bay over the North Pole will allow a blast of Arctic air to hit the UK, causing icy gales, blizzards and snowstorms - and wreaking havoc at airports.

The paper adds that this year's readings on the OPI are similar to those taken during the winter of 2009/10 when the coldest winter in 31 years caused travel chaos.

The Mirror reports that the weak jet stream could even leave us vulnerable to a freezing blast of Arctic air similar to that of 1947, when average temperatures fell to -2.7C.

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James Madden, forecaster for Exacta Weather, said: "The worst case and more plausible scenario could bring something on a similar par to the winter of 2009/10, the coldest in 31 years, or an event close to 2010/11 which experienced the coldest December in 100 years."

It is believed harsh weather could hit as soon as the middle of November, following what is likely to be the warmest Halloween on record with temperatures expected to rise to 21C.

The Met Ofice, however, is not supporting the claims of an Arctic blast battering Britain next month. A spokesman told the Metro: "There is no weather forecast for the winter. We are still in Autumn.

"There are absolutely no signs of any record breaking cold temperatures in the near future."

But you might want to flick through these top hotspots for a winter getaway just in case...