ICE POLL
BRITS trudging back to the polls for a likely General Election in December could be battling with the coldest winter in 30 years.
A Beast from the East is forecast to bring icy weather and freezing temperatures to the UK at the end of the year, which could see more vulnerable voters struggle to have their say.
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Exacta Weather forecaster James Madden said: “Snow events have been few and far between in recent years, but this winter is looking favourable to bring snow event after snow event as weather systems from the Atlantic clash with cold stagnated air over the UK.”
That could mean a bitterly cold spell to rival the freezing winter of 1963, which is said to have been the coldest for 200 years.
While the date has not been set and debates continue on a General Election, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has now backed the plan to go back to the people.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson was determined to give his Brexit law one more try before Christmas - but last night abandoned that in an attempt to sway over Opposition MPs.
He can instead bring it back after an election if he wins a majority, but this would mean we would not leave the EU until the end of the year at the very earliest.
So this leaves Brits preparing to face another election, and some of the coldest weather for years.
It could affect turnout to the polling booths, as older people and those with disabilities may find it difficult to cope with the chill.
What is the Beast from the East?
According to The Met Office, the 'Beast from the East' is a phrase used to describe cold and wintry conditions in the UK as a result of easterly winds from the near continent.
When pressure is high over Scandinavia, the UK tends to experience a polar continental air mass.
When this happens in winter, cold air is drawn in from the Eurasian landmass bringing the cold and wintry conditions that give rise to the 'Beast from the East' moniker.
For UK weather, this means the characteristics of the air depend on the length of sea track during its passage from Europe to the Britain.
The air is inherently very cold and dry and if it reaches southern Britain with a short sea track over the English Channel, the weather is characterised by clear skies and severe frost.
With a longer sea track over the North Sea, the air becomes unstable and moisture is added giving rise to showers of rain or snow, especially near the east coast of Britain.
The UK’s lowest temperatures usually occur in this air mass, lower than minus 10 °C at night, and sometimes remaining below freezing all day.
Polar continental air only reaches Britain between November and April. At other times of the year the source region is neither cold nor snow-covered and winds from north-eastern Europe bring a form of tropical continental air.
And the date could not only bring cold weather to contend with - students wanting to vote may not be able to as they travel home from university.
The Met Office's long-range forecast doesn't stretch to December, but other forecasters have predicted weather systems clashing as we go into November and beyond.
Mike Saunders, a professor of climate prediction at University College, London told The Sunday Times last month: "This would rank the 2020 January-February central England temperature as the coldest winter since 2013.
"It would also rank January-February 2020 as the seventh coldest winter in the past 30 years."
The predictions were made in one of the first long-range UK weather forecasts ever attempted.
Forecasters studied the jet stream, which blows from east to west just above the north Atlantic and brings icy temperatures and snow when it lands.
Temperatures are predicted to go as low as -14C, reminiscent of the Beast from the East which covered the UK in a blanket of snow in 2018.
The severe weather claimed the lives of 17 people, including a seven-year-old girl.
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Snow is due to hit Scotland this week as temperatures plummet and the country feels the chill of approaching winter.
Large towns and cities are predicted to see temperatures of between 2 to 4C while rural parts will be even colder at around -2 to -3C.
The more sheltered glens in Scotland could see temperatures drop to around -5C and even -7C in the most remote parts.
Brits will defy the cold as Brexit is so important to them, polling guru predicts
By Kate Ferguson
BRITS are set to defy the freezing cold and rain to vote in their droves if there is a December election, a polling guru has predicted.
Professor John Curtice said Brexit is so important to voters that a spot of bad weather will not keep them away.
And he pointed out that when the country went to the polls in the winter of 1950, a record 84 per cent of voters turned out.
Sir John rubbished suggestions that Brits will snub the ballot box because it is cold, dark and might be raining.
He told The Sun: “What do people usually do in December? They go out in the cold and look at the Christmas lights, go shopping or to watch pantomimes.
“We don’t shut down before Christmas. We go running around town at a higher pace.”
The elections guru said Brexit has seen voters become more engaged with politics that at any point since the 1960s.
And given emotions are running high among Brexiteers and Remainers, it is very unlikely they will sit out this election, he said.
In another interview, Sir John said: “If our great grandparents who didn’t have central heating and were relying on gas lighting could manage, why can’t we?”
Meanwhile, the Brexit Party was already trying to cash in on the prospect of a December election by flogging party branded cold weather gear.
Their website was selling thermal mugs, party branded socks and beanie hats to keep supporters warm on the doorstep.
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UK weather forecast – Coldest winter in 30 YEARS as Beast from the East to bring -14C lows