A staggering 88 UK counties are predicted to be smothered in snow, just days after a 19C mini heatwave is set to blast large areas of the country. On April 17, a 525-mile wall of snow is set to hit Southampton on the south coast to Wick in the north of Scotland, according to forecaster WX Charts.

The heaviest snow is expected to arrive in Dorset and Somerset, with as much as 2cm an hour predicted. However, the online forecaster’s radar suggests almost the whole country could be blanketed. Northern Ireland is the only corner of the UK predicted to swerve the flurries.

According to WX Charts, the heavy weather will arrive in earnest on April 16, with the Scottish Highlands, the Central Belt and Borders all hit. Northern England too may see snow wintery downpours, as may North Wales and Mid Wales.

It is essential to note that the Met Office does not predict snowfall so far in advance. The national forecaster maintains that snowfall in the UK relies on a number of variables that are too hard to accurately predict more than a few days ahead of time.

WXCharts’s startling prediction of an almost nationwide snow dump follows its prediction for a period of pleasant sunshine on April 11. The online forecaster predicts 19C highs across northern England, with the rest of the country seeing the mercury somewhere between 15C and 17C. Northern Scotland may be cooler with temperatures around 11C, likewise in Northern Ireland.

Which UK counties will see snow on April 17 according to WX Charts?

England

1. Bedfordshire
2. Berkshire
3. Bristol (City)
4. Buckinghamshire
5. Cambridgeshire
6. Cornwall
7. Cumbria
8. Derbyshire
9. Devon
10. Dorset
11. Durham
12. Essex
13. Gloucestershire
14. Greater London (City)
15. Greater Manchester
16. Hampshire
17. Herefordshire
18. Hertfordshire
19. Isle of Wight
20. Kent
21. Lancashire
22. Leicestershire
23. Lincolnshire
24. Merseyside
25. Norfolk
26. Northamptonshire
27. Northumberland
28. North Yorkshire
29. Nottinghamshire
30. Oxfordshire
31. Rutland
32. Shropshire
33. Somerset
34. South Yorkshire
35. Staffordshire
36. Suffolk
37. Surrey
38. Tyne and Wear
39. Warwickshire
40. West Midlands
41. West Sussex
42. West Yorkshire
43. Wiltshire
44. Worcestershire

Scotland

1. Aberdeen
2. Aberdeenshire
3. Angus
4. Argyll and Bute
5. Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles)
6. Dumfries and Galloway
7. Dundee
8. Highland
9. Inverclyde
10. Mid Lothian
11. Moray
12. Na h-Eileanan Siar (Western Isles)
13. North Ayrshire
14. North Lanarkshire
15. Orkney Islands
16. Perth and Kinross
17. Scottish Borders
18. Shetland Islands
19. South Ayrshire
20. South Lanarkshire

Wales

1. Anglesey
2. Brecknockshire
3. Caernarfonshire
4. Clwyd
5. Dyfed
6. Dyffryn Clwyd
7. Gwent
8. Gwynedd
9. Clwyd
10. Merionethshire
11. Monmouthshire
12. Montgomeryshire
13. Pembrokeshire
14. Powys
15. Radnorshire
16. South Glamorgan
17. West Glamorgan
18. North Glamorgan
19. Pembrokeshire
20. Cardiganshire
21. Carmarthenshire
22. Clwyd

Met Office’s 5-day weather forecast Wednesday 2 Apr – Sunday 6 Apr

Today:

A dry day, with lots of blue skies and spring sunshine. It will remain rather breezy, particularly across England and Wales. Feeling warm in the sunshine, though still on the chilly side for places exposed to the wind.

Tonight:

A dry evening and night for many, with some low cloud and fog forming in places. An increasing risk of showers across southwest England come dawn. Turning quite chilly.

Thursday:

Another sunny day for much of the UK. Cloudier skies across Wales and southwest England, with showery outbreaks of rain developing here. Warm once again in the sunshine.

Outlook for Friday to Sunday:

Mostly dry through this period, with plenty of sunshine. Low cloud and fog patches forming at night. Staying warm in the south and west, chiller in the north and east.