The Met Office has responded to claims that a February Arctic blast will cause up to seven inches of snow to hit the UK.

The national weather service responded to claims that maps show a “stratospheric polar vortex” is about to plunge the country into temperatures similar to those seen in 2018’s ‘the Beast from the East’, saying that there is “there is no suggestion of anything similar to the significant cold spell in 2018”.

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Stephen Dixon, a spokesperson for the Met Office, said: “signals in mid-February suggest that some cooler weather with more frost and fog will return, especially in southern areas of the UK, but signals for snow show that there’s nothing beyond what we would normally expect for this time of year”.

The Met Office does say that while we are currently experiencing a sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) - where polar winds circling high up in the stratosphere weaken and can cause cold snaps across the UK and Europe - the current event is only minor.

Forecasts at the moment suggest that changeable weather is likely to continue through to the second half of the month bringing rainfall, especially to the north and the west.

Temperatures are likely to be at or slightly above average, although brief colder spells remain possible.