Showers are being funnelled through north-western England Wednesday morning thanks to a local phenomenon in the area.

Known as Cheshire Gap convergence, the local geography of the Cheshire Plain can result in more unstable weather compared to surrounding areas.

This is mostly thanks to Snowdonia and the Clwydian Hills to the west and the Peak District and South Pennines to the east creating what is called a channeling effect.

The northwesterly flow picks up moisture from the nearby Irish Sea and is then being deflected by the nearby mountains.

Eventually, the airflow is forced to flow through the lowland gap of the Cheshire Gap, producing towering clouds and bands of showers as the converging flow of air rises.

In winter, heavy snow can develop if the air is sufficiently cold and unstable, with some towns and cities seeing several centimetres of snow in just a few hours, while nearby areas remain dry.