BRITS are set for snow and ice as the early spring heatwave comes to an abrupt end this week.
Forecasters say today will see the last glimpses of the sunny weather that hit Britain over the last week – before a flurry of the white stuff hits.
Temperatures have soared to 21C in the past few days, but parts of the UK could dip to as low as -3C before the snow starts to settle.
From Wednesday a band of snow will move down from the north and blanket Scotland and the northern parts of England in around four inches of snow.
“It will be markedly colder than what we’ve just seen, daytime temperatures falling by half, and some areas will even struggle to hit 8C (46.4F), which will signify the biggest change in conditions.”
Met Office forecaster Alex Burkhill said of the extreme change in weather: “Wednesday will be the most extreme in terms of wintry weather, as a cold stream of air will start to push southwards bringing unpredictable wet and windy conditions, even snow or sleet.
“Overnight into Thursday and Friday, many areas will fall considerably lower than freezing, towards minus 4C (24.8F) and minus 5C (23F). It looks like most places will be impacted; parts of northern England, northern Wales and central England are expected to be the worst affected.
“This wintry weather could even push into southern areas of England and Wales, which isn’t unusual; it is normal to have colder weather in April, but it’s far from the sunny, warm days seen last week.”
Read our UK weather blog below for the latest forecasts and updates…
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The last chance to do these gardening jobs (1/2)
William Mitchel from Sutton Manor Nursery told Express.co.uk that there are a number of last-minute jobs to tackle in March.
William said that you should cut back your plants to make your outdoor space not only visually attractive but also to allow for newer shoots to come through.
He explained: “It is very important to get rid of, or cut back any overgrown grasses or perennial plants that have built up over the winter months and become an eye-sore.”
You should prune flower shrubs like buddleia, clematis, hebes and hydrangeas, and take off dead flowers so you are left with healthier outward-facing bulbs.
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London outlook for Tuesday to Thursday
Sunny spells on Tuesday, with a risk of showers.
Colder from Wednesday as a band of rain sinks south.
Showers likely on Wednesday and Thursday, turning windy in the south.
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‘A change is on the way’
Met Office Chief Meteorologist Paul Gundersen said: “Although the UK has had a good deal of fine and settled March weather in recent days, a change is on the way from the middle of next week with colder air spreading down from the north and the increasing likelihood of rain for most areas.
“On the hills in the north, there’s a chance of this falling as snow, although we’ll gain more certainty on that in the coming days.
“With the influence of some unsettled weather, we’ll be seeing a marked drop in temperatures for most with colder air arriving from the north.
“This will see maximum temperatures drop into single figures for many areas, and below freezing overnight.”
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Revellers hit the town to take advantage of 20C weekend scorcher yesterday
REVELLERS are celebrating the arrival of British summertime with huge boozy parties tonight.
The clocks sprang forward an hour at 1am, meaning lighter evenings are finally here.
The change will mean less time for a lie-in on Sunday – but that hasn’t stopped thousands of people heading out to make the most of the night.
After a day of stunning blue skies and 20C sunshine, the streets of major cities are busy with people enjoying a mild evening.
It follows a gorgeous day of weather which saw families head for the coast to enjoy a swim.
Temperatures at this time of year are usually around 12 or 13C, meaning the past few days have given an unusually early blast of summer.
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Increasing likelihood of rain for most parts of the UK this week
Showers are also expected to hit large swathes of the country next week, with many turning into wintry flurries in the freezing temperatures.
Met Office Chief Meteorologist Paul Gundersen said: “Although the UK has had a good deal of fine and settled March weather in recent days, a change is on the way from the middle of next week with colder air spreading down from the north and the increasing likelihood of rain for most areas.
“On the hills in the north, there’s a chance of this falling as snow, although we’ll gain more certainty on that in the coming days.
“With the influence of some unsettled weather, we’ll be seeing a marked drop in temperatures for most with colder air arriving from the north.
“This will see maximum temperatures drop into single figures for many areas, and below freezing overnight.”
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Handing over
Good evening, Joe Gamp here.
I’m signing out from today’s live coverage blog.
Louis Allwood will be bringing you the latest news until 10pm this evening.
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Weather summary for Tuesday
The Met Office has published a short weather summary for Tuesday.
It reads: “Occasional rain across southern England clearing. Fog and low cloud becoming confined to eastern coasts.
“Rain, and hill snow, moving southwards across Scotland, followed by colder weather with wintry showers.”
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A cloudy and misty evening for the UK tonight
It seems the early summer sunshine has well and truly come to an end.
The Met Office said: “It’s a rather cloudy #Monday evening to come, though some clear spells remain for certain areas
“Turning misty along eastern coasts as low cloud begins to feed in from the North Sea.”
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Drop in temperatures poses risk to nation’s gardeners
The drop in temperatures is a risk for some of the nation’s gardeners.
The Royal Horticultural Society’s Guy Barter said: “Colder weather will slow plant growth and inhibit plums and pears pollination as insects fly less in cold dull weather.
“Hard frosts don’t seem likely so magnolias and fruit flowers should escape serious damage.
“Limited rain will help new sowings of peas and carrots for example and newly planted lettuces and other plants but should not greatly delay sowing and planting once conditions improve.
“Tender plants, petunias and tomatoes for example, won’t be put outside for another month at least but lower light affects greenhouses and will slow their growth.”
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Marked shift in weather during the coming weeks, says expert
Met Office Chief Meteorologist Neil Armstrong said: “We’re going to be seeing a marked shift in the weather for the UK in the coming week as the warm weather is displaced south.
“Temperatures will drop as cold air sweeps south with single figure maxima for most places from mid-week, and bringing with it the unsettled weather that we’ll see for much of the week.
“Some clear spells are still around later in the week, with the best of any sunshine likely to be in the south later in the week.”
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In pictures: Dense fog in Danbury, Essex
The image shows dense fog in Danbury, Essex, this morning.
The few days has seen Brits bask in Spring/Summer weather.
However, later in the week we will see conditions decline, with snow also forecast.
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Mixed fortunes across the UK today
Here’s a detailed image of the UK’s weather from space, showing a mixed bag of conditions depending on where you are.
The Met Office tweeted: “Is it sunny or cloudy where you are today?
“The latest view from space shows there are mixed fortunes across the UK this #Monday“
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London Wednesday to Friday outlook
Fairly cloudy Wednesday, with outbreaks of rain and perhaps snow moving south overnight.
Sunny spells and wintry showers Thursday and Friday. Windy Thursday. Feeling much colder, with widespread frosts overnight.
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London and south east forecast for tonight
Increasingly cloudy this evening, with low cloud and fog in eastern coastal areas spreading inland.
Outbreaks of rain at times, particularly later in the night with minimum temperatures of 5 °C.
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Parts of the UK could see temps as low as -6C
Temperatures have soared to 21C in the past few days, but parts of the UK could dip to as low as -6C before the snow starts to settle.
From Wednesday a band of snow will move down from the north and blanket Scotland and the northern parts of England in around four inches of snow.
By Thursday it will have moved over northern parts of England, possibly dumping up to nine inches according to WX Charts.
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Met Office: A varied picture across the UK this afternoon
The Met Office tweeted: “It’s a varied picture across the UK this #Monday afternoon
“Cloudy for some, with scattered showers in northern England and southern Scotland.
“Sunnier skies for others, where it will feel warm.”
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Snow could come on Wednesday or Thursday, says Met Office
Met Office forecaster Jonathan Vautrey added: “Snow could come on Wednesday evening or Thursday, especially in areas such as the Pennines.
“Overnight into Wednesday and Thursday, many areas will fall considerably lower than freezing, towards -6C.”
Two or three inches of snow will settle on the ground in Wales later in the week, and Northern Ireland should also see some flurries.
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Cold air from Scotland expected to blast England
Cold air from Scotland is expected to reach England by tomorrow evening, leading to possible showers and overnight temperatures below freezing.
From Wednesday a band of snow will move down from the north and blanket Scotland and the northern parts of England in around four inches of snow.
And by Thursday it will have moved over northern parts of England, possibly dumping up to nine inches according to WX Charts.
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In pictures: Brits enjoy Mother’s Day sunshine
The UK was treated to a glorious spell of sunshine on Mother’s Day yesterday.
The image below shows Brits flocking to Bournemouth beach in Dorset yesterday.
But the majority of the country this morning woke up to freezing fog and cloud on a greay Monday morning today.
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April now 2/1 to be the wettest EVER
This April is set to go down as the wettest on record, according to Ladbrokes.
Having been a 4/1 shot last week, the bookies now make it just a 2/1 shot that next month plays host to the wettest April EVER.
Alex Apati of Ladbrokes said: “There’s every chance next month breaks weather records for all the wrong reasons, with more rain soon set to batter Britain.”
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Short weather summary for today
The Met Office has publsihed a short weather summary for today.
It reads: “Fog and low cloud slowly clearing inland to allow some warm sunny spells in places.
“Some rain or showers possible across parts of northern England, southern Scotland, Northern Ireland and north Wales.
“Turning cloudier across southern England.”
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Britain facing 60mph gales
Brits will be faced with stormy weather and winds of close to 60 miles per hour hitting the UK, after a week of high temperatures.
The high pressure which has brought this nicer, milder weather will then drift off westwards, according to the latest BBC Weather for the Week ahead report.
It will be replaced by lower pressures and lower temperatures.
On March 31, rainy weather and high winds will pick up across much of the UK.
Northern Ireland could see a max wind gust of 50 miles per hour.
Conditions will be even worse on April 3, with winds expected to be stronger.
Maximum gusts of around 51.6mph are likely to hit parts of northern Wales, according to maps from WX Charts.
And in London, the speed is predicted to reach just shy of 60 miles per hour (59.5).
Jim Dale from the British Weather Services said low pressures with air from Scandinavia will take over from next week.
Mr Dale added: “[There will be] snow too by the middle of the week for the mountains of Scotland and Scotland as a whole.”
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Possible highs of 16C in Cardiff today
A murky start for many with low cloud. Brightening up during the morning.
Feeling pleasant in the afternoon sunny spells, but scattered cloud could produce the odd sharp shower with maximum temperatures of 16 °C.
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Exact date cold snap will hit
Forecasters have revealed that tomorrow is the last day to enjoy the scorching hot weather before the flurry of white stuff hits.
From Wednesday a band of snow will move down from the north and blanket Scotland and the northern parts of England in around four inches of snow.
By Thursday it will have moved over northern parts of England, possibly dumping up to nine inches according to WX Charts.
Two or three inches will settle on the ground in Wales later in the week, and Northern Ireland should also see some flurries.
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UK weather outlook for Tuesday and Wednesday
Tuesday will then be generally dull with thick cloud cover around and some patchy outbreaks of rain and drizzle. Brighter spells will develop during the afternoon.
Wednesday will be mainly cloudy with spells of rain and showers which may turn wintry across hills in the north during the afternoon.
Source: The Sun