A new weather map has shown a huge 530-mile blanket of snow hitting the UK in February. The conditions will manifest on Friday, February 13, at about midnight, WXCharts predicts. The wintery precipitation will stretch from John O'Groats on mainland Scotland, all the way down to Sussex in the south east of England, the map suggests.

Areas impacted include most of Wales, excluding the South-east of the country, a separate patch of the very South-west of England, from Sussex through the Midlands, and the North of England.

A purple blob can also be seen in East Anglia. Most of Scotland - the snowiest part of Blighty - is also covered. As regards the temperature, forecasters suggest the Scottish Highlands can expect the mercury to read as low as -7C.

The Met Office has issued its own forecast, separate to that of WXCharts.

For February 3 to 27, experts wrote: "Largely unsettled weather is expected to begin, bringing showers or longer spells of rain for many places. It may also be rather windy at times, especially towards the south west.

"Towards the northeast, colder conditions will remain nearby, with the risk of colder air pushing further south west at times, increasing the chance of snowfall. Although snow is more likely over high ground, some snow to lower levels could not be ruled out.

"Temperatures will be close to average for most, but perhaps rather cold in the northeast."

They added: "An often brisk wind will accentuate the colder feel too, especially for coastal districts.

"As we move through the forecast, confidence lowers between whether milder air from the south west will dominate or colder air from the east moves more bodily in."

Met Office specialists say it is tricky to predict snow in the UK.

"With a range of factors to consider, forecasting snow accurately in the UK can be one of the trickier forecasts to do accurately," the Met Office says.

"Forecasting snow in the UK isn't like some other places along the UK's latitude, where snow can be quite reliably forecast days or weeks in advance.

"Because of the UK's location, where the air comes from is incredibly important when it comes to determining if snow is possible. Being surrounded by water also adds another factor into predicting snow chances in the UK, it may not feel like it if you dip your toe in, but the water in the seas around the UK is well above freezing and that affects the temperature of the air close to the surface which can determine how much snow is in the forecast."