A cold snap has officially hit the North East, but how long is it expected to stay around and can Newcastle expect snow?

After a warm October and an mild start to November, winter has hit the North East hard over the last day or so.

Temperatures have dipped dramatically with grass patches getting a sprinkling of frost on Monday morning and smaller bodies of water starting to see the first patches of ice since last winter.

The Met Office is predicting freezing overnight conditions throughout this week.

placeholder image — The Met Office is predicting freezing overnight conditions throughout this week.

The Met Office has already issued a snow and ice warning for the start of this week, but will Newcastle actually see any snow this week now we are truly in the depths of winter?

Will it snow in Newcastle this week?

In addition to the snow and ice warning, part of the Met Office forecast over the coming days does suggest we may see a small amount of snow as we enter the second half of November.

After a dry and clear day on Monday, November 18, clouds are expected to cover the ngith sky as we head into Tuesday. Some of this may bring precipitation which, with the right temperatures, bring snow to the region.

These temperatures are expected to fall to overnight lows of 1°C, although it will feel colder according to the Weather Service.

Precipitation, which may carry rain, snowfall, hail or a combination of the three, is expected to start from 11pm on Monday, November 18 and run until 8am the following morning.

Although clear skies are expected on Tuesday, highs of 3°C mean any snow is unlikely to melt at a quick speed.

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When will the cold snap in the North East end?

The Met Office’s firecast for the coming week sees temperatures not rise above 4°C until the weekend.

A clear, dry, sunny week will result in much cooler temperatures than we have seen over the last few weeks but weekend cloud cover should stop the weather conditions continuing into next week.

The current forecast predicts a cloudy weekend with the chance of showers. Highs of 6°C and 7°C are expected on Saturday and Sunday respectively with overnight lows of 2°C.