Leeds Met Office weather forecast: City to face cold snap as temperatures plummet - here’s exactly when it will hit

A cold snap is set to hit Leeds from today as weather maps predict a ‘polar vortex’ is on its way. A polar vortex is a circulation of winds high up in the stratosphere, mainly occurring in winter.

It was the weakening of this vortex which is known to have caused the infamous ‘Beast from the East’ back in 2018. The Met Office has responded to the ‘polar vortex’ reports in a blog post, stating that only a minor stratospheric warming is on its way.

The national weather service wrote: "Well, a sudden stratospheric warming is underway, but only a minor one. The warming is expected to peak towards the end of January. The strong westerly winds high over the Arctic, called the stratospheric polar vortex, have weakened and the vortex is partially collapsing.

"However, the polar vortex has been unusually strong so far this year and although there has been a minor SSW, the winds are expected to rebound quickly, recovering to speeds around normal for the time of year."

But how cold will it be in Leeds this week? Here’s everything you need to know.

What will the weather be like in Leeds this week?

Monday, January 30

Monday’s weather in Leeds will be mixed, starting with sunny skies in the morning before taking a turn in the afternoon. The sky will become slightly cloudy with sunny intervals at 2pm.

From 4pm, the skies will remain cloudy all the way through to Tuesday morning. The temperature will reach a maximum of 8C throughout the day.

Tuesday, January 31

On Tuesday, it will be windy in Leeds with sunny skies throughout the day. It will change to partly cloudy by nighttime, with a maximum temperature of 8C.

Wednesday, February 1

Wednesday will see cloudy skies across Leeds, with light rain expected by late morning. The weather will then become overcast at around 3pm, with maximum temperatures of 8C throughout the day.

Thursday, February 2

The skies across Leeds will be cloudy on Thursday as winds begin to ease. The temperature will hit a maximum of 10C throughout the day.

Friday, February 3

Friday will see overcast skies across Leeds as the city narrowly misses out on the rain. Temperatures will reach 11C.

Outlook for this weekend

There will be cloudy skies across Leeds over the weekend, with some sunny intervals expected on Sunday. On Saturday, temperatures will hit highs of 10C and on Sunday, they will hit highs of 8C.