A Met Office meteorologist couldn’t resist a jibe at Arsenal during his YouTube weather forecast, likening the upcoming drop in temperatures to the Gunners’ recent dip in form.
Presenting the weather service’s weekly Deep Dive feature, Alex Burkill discussed the shift in this week’s weather, which has been mild but is set to become significantly colder. The entire country will experience below-average temperatures for this time of year, with London expected to see the mercury fall to as low as 0C.
Seizing the opportunity to tease Arsenal, who recently lost 1-0 at home to West Ham United in the Premier League, Burkill compared the falling temperatures to the club’s dropping points. Using a chart illustrating the temperature changes, he quipped: “I’ve picked Arsenal FC again.
“I have a habit of doing that, but I was meant to pick London, but nonetheless. So here are our temperatures, and the point that I wanted to show is that it is getting colder as we go towards, well, Thursday, Friday and into the weekend. If we look at the minimum temperatures, you can see dropping down, well… Arsenal dropping some points as we go into the weekend. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen this weekend.”
The forecast indicates a chilly outlook for north London, with temperatures potentially dropping to just 2C on Friday. Arsenal fans can wrap up warm at home, as their team won’t be in action this weekend after being knocked out of the FA Cup by Manchester United earlier in January, reports the Mirror.
However, the weather report doesn’t miss the opportunity to throw some light-hearted digs at both Manchester clubs. Burkill shares insights into the expected temperature shift in Middleton, which, while technically part of Rochdale, is closely linked to the Greater Manchester area and lies near both the Etihad Stadium and Old Trafford.
He quips: “Oh, okay… They’re picking up some points this weekend. Let’s hope that’s not the case. But my point being there’s some colder air… You can see that there is a drop in temperatures as we go through Friday into Saturday.”
This jest is a playful jab at Manchester United’s current 15th place standing in the Premier League and Manchester City’s recent struggles, sitting fifth and trailing league leaders Liverpool by 20 points following a loss to them on Sunday. City do have an FA Cup fixture to look forward to as they welcome Plymouth Argyle, who recently ousted Arne Slot’s squad from the competition.
While Saturday marks the beginning of meteorological spring, most areas won’t see typical early March temperatures until Tuesday or Wednesday. However, next week could see a rise in temperatures to 14C as far north as Leeds and potentially even 15C across the East of England by the week’s end.
