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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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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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.
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Where is the cleanest air in the UK?
The majority of Scotland has good air quality at the moment, as well as Northern Ireland.
Wales has moderate air pollution across the country with low pollution in Anglesey.
In the fight against rising emissions, Brighton and Hove are the cities closest to becoming net zero on carbon emissions per capita, according to research by AlldayPA.
According to IQ’s Air’s World Air Quality Report, in 2021 Midlothian, just south of Edinburgh, Scotland had the cleanest air.
English counties of Wiltshire and Berkshire were not far behind but were the only two counties in England to make the top ten list, the rest were in Scotland or Wales.
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How does the start of April look?
High pressure to the west of the UK and Ireland will mean northerly winds will bring a cold start to the period.
Showers, likely wintry at times, will affect many northern and eastern areas. These showers could be heavy at times.
Elsewhere, many areas are likely to be dry, with frost widespread by night.
High pressure is likely to decline through the weekend, with spells of rain possibly pushing southeast across the country by the end of the weekend or the beginning of the following week.
Further spells of rain, with milder temperatures, interspersed with colder, showery interludes, will likely follow for the rest of the period.
Some strong winds are likely at times too.
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Manchester forecast for tomorrow
A largely dry start to Monday with variable cloud but scattered showers developing through the day, some of which may be sharp.
Still feeling pleasant in any sunny spells with maximum temperatures of 16 °C.
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What to plant in April
Speaking to Express, gardening guru Chris Bonnett, from GardeningExpress.co.uk, explained that April is the time of the year when our green spaces really begin to ”come to life”.
A must for the ultimate brunch staple, Eggs Benedict, chives are to be planted in the sunny month of April as well.
”Try planting chives and other herbs and letting them germinate on a sunny window sill or in the greenhouse,” the whizz said.
He also added: ”Take care though to sow them sparingly, thinning them out if they become overcrowded.”
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The last chance to do these gardening jobs (2/2)
While your garden will start to thrive with warmer weather, you will also notice an increase in pests such as slugs.
William said you should be preparing preventative measures for this before April arrives.
He explained: “This can be done using natural deterrents like coffee grounds, wood ashes, or sand but can also be done by purchasing products that keep away the slugs using chemicals.”
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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.