UK weather: Is Britain set to suffer the worst winter in 100 years?

Britain could be set for the coldest winter for 100 years.

That's the claim of some weather experts as many parts of the UK woke up to a icy pinch in the air this morning.

So dust off the winter woolies, stock the cupboards with food and put a spade in the boot of the car – just in case.

Because while we might have enjoyed an unusually mild autumn, some scientists claim we should prepare for a freezing winter – predicting record low temperatures, Arctic blizzards and icy gales that could cripple the country.

And snow could hit parts of Britain in a matter of days, with many forecasters predicting the white stuff to arrive in November. It comes just after the National Grid warned that a cold winter could take Britain to the brink of blackouts on several particularly dangerous days this year.

Weather experts claiming to have studied air flows in the upper atmosphere say a jet stream that usually holds extreme weather over the North Pole is weak this year.

And that could mean the gates are open to a freezing influx of air that could engulf the UK - similar to what happened in 1947 when average temperatures plummeted to -2.7C.

The worst of the weather is predicted to arrive around the middle of November and could again mean nightmare travelling conditions on the roads and chaos at British airports.

Readings so far this year point to similar conditions to the winter of 2009/10 – the coldest for 31 years – it is claimed.

James Madden, forecaster for Exacta Weather, told the Daily Express: "The worst case and more plausible scenario could bring something on a similar par to the winter of 2009/10, the coldest in 31 years, or an event close to 2010/11 which experienced the coldest December in 100 years.”

“In addition to this the Siberian snow cover is also well ahead of schedule and is another strong signal for a harsh winter based on previous studies."

News of a harsh winter has inevitably sparked talk of a white Christmas.

The last official white Christmas was in 2010, when snow was widespread across Northern Ireland, Scotland, parts of Wales, the Midlands, north-east and far south-west England.

BetFred makes it 7-1 for there to be a white Christmas in London and Birmingham, 6-1 for Belfast, Liverpool and Manchester and 4-1 for Edinburgh.

Met Office experts have warned that forecasts are less accurate the further in the future they look.