The UK could be facing another extreme bout of snowfall similar to the 'Beast from the East' that battered the country back in 2018.
A Sudden Stratospheric Warning (SSW) has potentially been picked up in new long-range forecasts by the Met Office, which could trigger the spell of bad weather.
This major weather event causes the air high up in the stratosphere to warm up, causing the jet stream to veer off its normal route - resulting in bitterly cold conditions.
The Mirror reports that a SSW was the culprit for causing 2018's 'Beast from the East', bringing snowfall of up to 22 inches in some places and causing widespread havoc to travel.
Now, a new post on the Met Office blog has revealed there's an 80 percent chance we'll see another one of these towards the end of February - although it's not yet known if it will cause the same kind of extreme snowfall as before.
The forecaster wrote: "A major SSW often makes the jet stream meander more, which can lead to a large area of blocking high pressure over northern Europe, including the UK.
"This blocking high pressure can lead to cold, dry weather in the north of Europe, including the UK, with mild, wet and windy conditions more likely for southern areas of the continent.
"However, this is not always the case and impacts on UK weather can also be benign when an SSW occurs."
Prof Adam Scaife, Head of Long-Range Forecasting at the Met Office, said that "any effect on UK weather" is most likely to occur in late February and March.
In the meantime, some parts of Scotland are facing strong gales of up to 75mph today (February 8) as the Met Office has issued a warning covering the Highlands and the Outer Hebrides.
Until 5pm, people in the affected areas are being urged to take care when travelling and to expect some delays as the winds may cause "travel disruption and dangerous coastal conditions".
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