The Met Office has declared it is "almost certain" that a sudden stratospheric warming will hit Britain in mid-March, potentially bringing a cold snap to the UK.
A spokesman for the meteorological service told GB News: "The stratosphere polar vortex is now weakening rapidly."
"Over the last few days, the forecasts have become very confident and we are almost certain there will be a sudden stratospheric warming in mid-March. This is when the mid stratospheric wind is predicted to reverse from westerly to easterly."
Temperatures are expected to plunge as the weather phenomenon takes hold across the country.
The polar vortex could strike the UK
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The spokesman explained that about 70 per cent of sudden stratospheric warming events lead to cold conditions with easterly winds across northern Europe and the UK.
A sudden stratospheric warming occurs when the layer between 10 and 50km above Earth's surface heats up by 50 degrees in just two days.
This scientific phenomenon weakens the polar vortex, which is a large area of low pressure and cold air rotating around the Earth's poles.
When weakened, the vortex allows freezing Arctic air to move southwards, often bringing extreme weather conditions.
The polar vortex corresponds with the jet stream eight to 11km above Earth's surface.
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An image highlighting the impact of a Polar Vortex
Temperatures could fall later this month
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The Met Office has indicated there are "now signs of this in the forecast and the risk of a cold snap later in March is increasing."
This will be the second polar vortex collapse of 2025, following February's event that caused deep freezes across North America.
AccuWeather's Lead Meteorologist Paul Pastelok told The Independent: "We are predicting a displacement of the polar vortex on the Europe and eastern Canada side of the polar."
The timing remains uncertain, but experts suggest the pattern change could arrive in late March into early April. Parts of the US and Canada are already preparing for plummeting temperatures.
Large swathes of the country were blanketed by snow in January
PAThe previous polar vortex collapse in February brought chaos across the US and Canada, with snow, storms, and freezing temperatures sweeping North America.
Millions of Americans were affected by severe winter conditions, with states experiencing dangerously cold temperatures.
Some areas saw temperatures hit -45°F with -60°F wind chills, according to meteorologists.
The extreme weather led to thousands of flight cancellations and delays nationwide. The Met Office added: "SSWs don't always impact our weather but if they do it can take a few weeks before impacts might be felt on the Earth surface."
Britons are advised it may still be too early to retire winter wardrobes despite the arrival of spring.
