Temperatures will plummet by more than 15C in the space of three days, and so the balmy weekend will appear a distant memory by midweek when northerly winds will hit
Brits will shiver in 4C temperatures as a bitter vortex from the Arctic sweeps across the country this week.
The latest band of low pressure, which will be slow moving, will cause widespread frost, which at this time of the year will cause damage to vegetation.
Wednesday’s weather is particularly cold and windy as gusts of up to 28mph will buffer the North Sea coast from Suffolk to Durham. Gales will be heaviest at around lunchtime in Norfolk, weather maps issued by the Met Office show.
These northerly winds will send temperatures spiralling – to as low as 4C in East Yorkshire and North Yorkshire by Wednesday afternoon. Wednesday night will be particularly cold and many of us will wake to frost on Thursday, forecasters understand.
It is a stark contrast to the glorious weather experienced by many on the weekend as the mercury hit nearly 20C in Castlederg, Northern Ireland, on Sunday. Wales was particularly warm too and, in Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire, the mercury exceeded 16C on Sunday.
But following widespread on Monday, Netweather meteorologist Jo Farrow said: “Nothing disturbs this colder-than-average air in the coming week. It remains across central Europe and the UK in the coming days. Czechia has low temperature warnings with agricultural concerns.
“Expected frost can cause damage to vegetation, especially vegetables, grape-vine and blossoming fruit trees. The jetstream is meandering all over the place as the high pressure from this weekend retreats nearer to the Azores. As a result, everything is rather slow moving.
“This cold air will keep us on our toes. Where the sunshine appears, it will feel pleasantly warm, away from the wind. Under cloud cover, in the breeze by day, or after dark with clear skies it will feel chilly.”
Even on Thursday, temperatures are unlikely to exceed 7C for many, way below the average for this time of year. The cloud cover on Thursday may make it feel colder than it actually is, forecasters understand.
Ms Farrow continued: “Wednesday night sees a more widespread frost. Thursday starts in a similar vein but the winds fall light and there will be more cloud about by the afternoon as the temperatures stay subdued. Overall it’s a drier week than the soggy months we have been seeing but it’s not warm.”