Sean Batty: Is another 'Beast from the East' on the way this week?

Every winter, the mere mention of an easterly wind seems to flood our feeds with talk of a “Beast from the East” and “snowmageddon” – but how much truth is there to these headlines?

A large high-pressure system is set to strengthen over Scandinavia and Russia in the coming days, and once these settle in, they can be notoriously stubborn.

This does place the UK in an easterly airflow but calling it a “beast” seems a stretch – I’d rather reserve this for occasions when extreme cold and heavy snow actually looks likely.

Yes, the air is coming from Russia, typically a bitterly cold source at this time of year. However, temperatures there are currently much milder than usual – some areas of western Russia and Scandinavia are 5-10°C warmer than average.

As a result, the air reaching us won’t be nearly as frigid as it could have been, meaning we’re unlikely to see anything severe.

So, while the next several days will turn chillier, with daytime highs around 5°C and nighttime lows dipping below freezing under clear skies, this is fairly typical for February.

To put things in perspective, remember early January’s northerly blast that brought daytime highs of -10°C and lows of -20°C to the north Highlands? Now that was a “beast”.

For most of the country, high pressure will bring settled and quieter weather. Expect cloudier skies over the weekend and early next week, but if you’re in the north and west – places like Ullapool, Fort William, Oban, and the Hebrides – you’ll have the best chance of sunshine.

And if you need a little boost, here’s a reminder: meteorologically speaking, spring is just over three weeks away, and in four weeks, sunset will be around 6pm!

Of course, things could change. If this high pressure lingers for weeks, Russia, Scandinavia, and eastern Europe will turn much colder, and if the easterly flow holds we could see something more beastly later this month.

As always, I’ll keep you posted!