Met Office Forecast for South-West England


Issued: Monday 5th January 2026 at 4:00 pm


Headline: Staying cold. Further wintry showers in the west.


This Evening and Tonight: Temperatures quickly falling below freezing this evening with a widespread and severe frost forming. Wintry showers in Cornwall and west Devon tending to become lighter and less frequent as the night progresses. Ice possible in places. Minimum Temperature -6C.


Tuesday: After a very cold start, gradually turning cloudier and somewhat milder than Monday, with bright spells. Patchy rain and some sleet moving in later in the afternoon. Light southwesterly winds. Maximum Temperature 7C.


Outlook for Wednesday to Friday: Largely dry to start Wednesday but turning unsettled thereafter. Periods of heavy rain on Thursday and Friday, with strong to gale force winds also possible, perhaps bringing some travel disruption.


UK Outlook for Saturday 10 Jan 2026 to Monday 19 Jan 2026: A changeable period is expected, with Atlantic frontal systems occasionally affecting the UK, bringing spells of rain, probably preceded by snow in some areas, this more likely in northern and eastern parts. Some significant snowfall is possible in places, particularly on northern hills. These low pressure systems could also bring some strong winds. These will be interspersed with quieter, drier interludes under transient ridges of high pressure, with the potential for frost, and wintry showers along coasts exposed to northerly winds. After a cold start, temperatures will tend to trend closer to average, especially in the south, such that the frequency of wintry hazards may reduce slightly. However, there is a hint late in this period that it may briefly turn more widely drier and colder again.


UK Outlook for Tuesday 20 Jan 2026 to Tuesday 3 Feb 2026: The outlook through the latter part of January and into the start of February is very uncertain, with no strong signal for any particular weather pattern to dominate. However, a broadly westerly regime seems more likely than not. As such, conditions are most likely to be changeable. Spells of wet, windy and mild weather are likely at times, along with some colder, drier interludes with overnight frost and fog. There is a hint that this period may start off largely dry and cold though. Snow and ice remain possible, especially in central and northern parts of the UK, but the chance of these is generally lower than earlier in January.


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