Met Office weather maps showed 4mm of snowfall per hour in certain parts of the country later this week with many regions seeing the white stuff mixed with downpours
New weather maps show temperatures will plunge with snow stretching as far south as Cornwall and Devon.
The chilly snap comes as Brits have enjoyed a pleasant rise in temperatures as we move into spring and away from the downpour blight that blighted the country for weeks. Met Office forecasters predicted snow falling in numerous places across the UK on March 13.
Snow can be seen across falling across Scotland with the Met Office predicting upward of 4mm of snowfall per hour in certain regions. The white stuff is not expected to fall elsewhere in the early hours with downpours hitting most of England and Wales until 6am when only a few areas will continue to see showers.
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Further into the day, more and more of the UK will see snow start to appear. The maps then show Scotland, parts of Derbyshire and Yorkshire falling under a blanket of snowfall and downpours, reports the Daily Express.
In the early evening, snow will push further south, reaching Devon, Cornwall and Wiltshire as well as parts of the Midlands, particularly Lincolnshire. The Met Office said Friday’s weather will start “sharply cold” and will be accompanied with strong winds that will persist into the next day.
“With temperatures struggling in the single figures, below the seasonal average, icy patches could develop through Friday morning and again into Saturday,” it said. “In contrast, the south and east fare better with drier conditions, although it will still feel chilly widely.
Moving into the coming weeks, the Met Office predicted more changeable weather throughout. The long-range forecast between March 16 and March 25 said: “These will bring spells of rain and showers, most frequent and heavy in the west or northwest, and perhaps accompanied by strong winds.
“However, there should also be some drier interludes under transient ridges of high pressure, with longer dry periods most likely in the south and east, though even here some wet weather is possible at times. Temperatures will be near average for the period as a whole, but with some shorter-duration colder interludes at times when frost and hill snow will be.”
Forecasters predict into the Easter period that temperatures will be close to average for this period though there is a chance of some colder conditions developing for a time with a risk of frost Looking further ahead from March 26 to April 9, the forecaster says: “Blocked, or slowly evolving, weather patterns are favoured for late March into early April, with high pressure probably building to the north or northeast of the UK.
“Whilst confidence is low in how this will influence the weather across the UK, this tends to lead to a more prolonged period of a certain weather type, be it settled or unsettled. In any case, a reduction in Atlantic-dominated weather patterns is likely, although some wet weather remains possible at times, perhaps more especially in the south and east whilst northwestern areas tend to be drier than average.
“Temperatures will probably be close to average for the period as a whole, but there is an increased chance of some colder conditions developing for a time with a risk of frost.”
