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…
Odds SLASHED on April being wettest EVER
Ladbrokes has slashed the odds for the second time this week on next month going down as the wettest April EVER.
Having been a 2/1 shot on Monday, the bookies now make it just 6/4 for this year to play host to a record-breaking wet April.
Alex Apati of Ladbrokes said: “Things are about to get a whole lot wetter as far as the latest odds are concerned, with a record-breaking April potentially on the cards.”
‘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.”
In pictures: Stunning sunrise over Lytham St Annes, Lancashire
This stunning image shows sunrise over Lytham St Annes in Lancashire.
The warm weather is set to officially end today with snow forecast in some areas later in the week.
Forecasters have predicted conditions will turn wintry and showery from Wednesday.
NINTCHDBPICT000722492966Credit: Bav Media
Short weather summary for Wednesday
The Met Office has released a shirt weather summary for tomorrow.
It reads: “Rain and hill snow continuing southwards; bright but distinctly cold to the north, with heavy hail and snow showers.
“Parts of Wales and southern England seeing sunny intervals and showers.”
Snow could hit from Wednesday evening
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.
Unpredictable wet and windy conditions this week
Official Met Office charts show temperatures dipping as low as -1C in Loch Rannoch, Scotland, on Thursday morning.
However forecasters have warned the mercury could plunge as low as -6C in parts as a bone-chilling cold front pushes down from the north.
Alex Burkill, a Met Office forecaster, said: “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 -4C and -5C.
Short weather summary for today
Occasional rain across southern England clearing slowly.
Fog and low cloud in central areas retreating to eastern coasts, sunny intervals and scattered showers inland.
Rain moving southwards into Scotland, followed by colder weather with wintry showers in the far north.
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.”
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.”
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.
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.
Manchester forecast for today
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.
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.”
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.”
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.
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.
‘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.”
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.
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.”
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.
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.
Credit: Stephen Huntley/HVC
