The Met Office has announced a rare weather phenomenon will hit the UK from the early hours of Wednesday. The rare weather phenomenon "freezing rain" is forecast on Wednesday March 27 as the UK faces fresh snowfall and rain across the third day of the working week.
Freezing rain "is a rare type of liquid precipitation that strikes a cold surface, and freezes almost instantly", the Met Office explains on its website. It adds it is rarely seen in the UK because the conditions have to be quite specific for the weather to occur.
The Met Office website reads: "These droplets can become ‘supercooled’ and this means that they are still falling in liquid form, even though their temperature has fallen below zero. When this ‘supercooled’ droplet hits the ground (which is below zero too) it spreads out a little on landing, and then instantly freezes, encasing the surface in a layer of clear ice.
READ MORE Martin Lewis says '14 million people' should send this text immediately
"This is why it is called freezing rain. It can produce striking effects, as the raindrop spreads out momentarily across the surface before it freezes, encasing the surface in a layer of clear ice." On Monday, the Met Office forecast explains: "Rain will spread across much of the UK this morning, but it will stay dry and cloudy in the southeast.
"Turning windy in southwest and eastern coasts, feeling chilly. Hill snow will start to fall in eastern Scotland this afternoon." Rain and hill snow will continue in eastern Scotland tonight. Outbreaks of patchy rain will also continue across the north and west of the UK, but drier and cloudy elsewhere.
It adds: "Largely cloudy on Tuesday with outbreaks of showery rain for many. A few brighter spells possible in the south at times. Hill snow will gradually clear eastern Scotland. Breezy." And looking ahead from Wednesday to Friday, it continues: "Breezy in the coming days with sunny spells and heavy showers.
"A more persistent spell of rain is likely to move north through the early hours of Thursday. Feeling chilly."
