A wintry blast is set to sweep across the British Isles next week, potentially burying parts of the nation under heavy snow at rates of up to 5cm per hour. An Arctic onslaught poised to last 12 hours looms as the Met Office alerts that a cold snap from Europe might "increase the chance" of significant snowfall nearing January's finale.

According to WXCharts' predictions, which are informed by Met Desk data, shades of purple are expected to dominate Britain's weather maps by Saturday, January 25, heralding a thick blanket of snow. Residents could face a frosty awakening with several regions already shrouded in white by dawn's early light.

As midnight approaches, forecasts indicate snow beginning to cascade down upon the West Midlands, the north-east, and north-west, including flecks flying over Scottish territories. Cities such as Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, and Inverness appear squarely in the path of the impending storm.

By the break of day at 6am, an expansive belt of snow will have settled – stretching all the way from Southampton up to Inverness. With the mercury set to hover around 0C across Britain and dip to a frigid -1C in Edinburgh, it's time to bundle up.

Midday charts for snow depth on January 25 point towards a snowy scene in sizeable segments of Wales, northern England, and bonnie Scotland, sporting layers of fresh powder. Near Manchester, accumulations could stack up to 7cm, while the Scottish Highlands may see figures reaching 8cm, reports The Mirror.

This comes in the wake of Met Office cautions regarding the European chill looming overhead, suggesting a bolstered likelihood of a snow-laden end to the month.

Meteorologists from the Met Office predict a shift towards changeable and potentially unsettled weather starting early this period, with their forecast for January 22 to January 31 stating: "A transition to a rather more changeable and at times unsettled weather pattern is likely to occur during the first few days of this period. Outbreaks of rain and freshening winds will probably make inroads from the southwest during Thursday ahead of conditions more widely becoming wetter and windier by next weekend."

They also warn that "Whilst a milder, wetter and windier scenario is considered most likely, there remains a small chance that colder air from Europe may continue to feed into northern Britain, especially at first, increasing the chance of snowfall here. Towards the end of January, further periods of strong winds and heavy rain are likely to move in from the Atlantic. Whilst generally mild conditions look to close out the month, some large day to day changes in temperature are possible."