What Is a Cold Snap?
A cold snap is a rapid and significant drop in temperature, often 10-20°C within 24 hours. Unlike gradual seasonal cooling, cold snaps arrive suddenly and can catch people off guard.
What Causes Cold Snaps?
The most common cause is an Arctic air outbreak — when the polar jet stream dips south, allowing frigid Arctic air to spill into lower latitudes.
Other triggers include:
- Cold fronts: A mass of cold air displacing warm air
- Polar vortex disruption: Weakening of the polar vortex sends cold air southward
- Radiational cooling: Clear skies and calm winds after a front passes allow temperatures to plummet overnight
Impact
- Pipes can freeze and burst if temperatures drop below -5°C in poorly insulated buildings
- Road black ice forms when temperatures drop below freezing after rain
- Plants suffer frost damage when cold snaps hit during growing season
- Energy demand spikes as heating systems work overtime
- Hypothermia risk for homeless populations and outdoor workers
How to Prepare
- Insulate exposed water pipes before winter
- Keep emergency supplies: blankets, torch, bottled water, food
- Check on elderly or vulnerable neighbours
- Bring pets indoors
- Let taps drip slightly to prevent pipe freezing
- Keep your car's fuel tank at least half full during cold snaps
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