Will snow forecast impact UK football matches this weekend?

Ryan Kelly

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Will snow forecast impact UK football matches this weekend? image

A weather front dubbed the 'Beast from the East' is making its way across Europe, bringing freezing temperatures and disrupting everyday life.

Football does not exist in a bubble so it too is at risk of disruption, with games at all levels equally susceptible to being postponed until later dates.

The usual calendar of fixtures has already been impacted across the continent and in Britain, but the weather is expected to get worse in the coming days.

As the United Kingdom finds itself cloaked in snow, Goal takes a look at what games are likely to be affected by the 'Beast from the East'.

What games are at risk due to snow?

According to the Met Office , the freezing weather is forecast to last until the weekend, meaning that, in theory, a lot of games in the UK are at risk of being affected.

Premier League action kicked off on Thursday evening as Arsenal hosted Manchester City in a repeat of the Carabao Cup final and the game was unaffected by the weather.

The rest of the games take place on Saturday and Sunday, so clubs involved in those games - including the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Man City - will be hoping that the worst of the weather will have passed.

Manchester United are not in action until Monday evening, so, based on the current forecast, it is not under threat of being called off.

Tottenham's home clash with Huddersfield Town is set to go ahead, although the club have suggested that fans set off an hour earlier to avoid being impacted by travel delays.

Five Championship matches on Saturday have been postponed: Aston Villa vs QPR , Barnsley vs Norwich City , Brentford vs Cardiff City, Wolves vs Reading and Sheffield Wednesday vs Burton Albion .

Only five games in League One and League Two are still scheduled, with the other 16 having been forced to cancel and replay at a later date.

In Scotland, two of Saturday's Premiership matches were called off (St Johnstone vs Hamilton Academical and Ross County vs Partick Thistle) but both the Scottish Cup games, including Celtic vs Morton, will go ahead. Every single game in Ireland has been called off.

You can keep an eye on which games are going ahead on Goal's live scores centre .

Have any games already been called off due to snow?

Juventus Atalanta Serie A snow

Yes, a number of games have already been affected by the inclement weather and in some cases entire rounds have been postponed.

In Europe, the Coppa Italia match between Juventus and Atalanta was called off at the last minute after heavy snow pounded Turin on Sunday.

In the UK, six games in Scotland's Championship, League One and League Two were postponed on Tuesday due to the weather, but some Premiership matches went ahead.

However, Wednesday's Premiership games, including Celtic versus Dundee, were called off. A further eight games were called off on Friday and Saturday.

Some matches in England's lower leagues were cancelled on Tuesday too, while an entire round was nearly held back because of the weather.

A humourous incident occured during a League One game between Peterborough United and Walsall as heavy snowfall threatened to end the game prematurely.

However, some Peterborough players helped ground staff to clear the areas around the 18-yard box and perimeter to ensure the game was completed, thus allowing them to clinch a 2-1 win.

What is 'The Beast from the East'?

Arsenal Etihad Stadium snow

The so-called 'Beast from the East' is a polar vortex and it is bringing snow, ice and cold winds with it as it passes over Europe.

Its official name is 'Storm Emma' but it has been dubbed the 'Beast from the East' because it is moving from Siberia in Russia, sweeping west across the continent towards the Atlantic Ocean.

As a consequence of the vortex, Arctic conditions are to be expected, such as sub-zero temperatures, heavy snowfall and frost.

Temperatures in parts of central Europe have reached minus 20 degrees and, while the UK is not experiencing such drastic cold, it is expected to reach minus 10 degrees in places.

Red weather warnings are in place in many countries with places - such as schools and businesses - shutting down to encourage the avoidance of travel.

Ryan Kelly