As temperatures drop in the next week or so, frost and hill snow are anticipated, the Met Office understands as the unpredictable weather pattern is to change once again
Brits are set to shiver in freezing temperatures next week with snow likely.
The mercury will drop by up to around 12C in just over one week as a low pressure grips the UK. It poses a stark change to the balmy temperatures many regions enjoyed this week, particularly on Thursday which was the hottest day of the year so far.
And the Met Office said the warmest place in the UK on Friday was, perhaps surprisingly, Altnaharra in the Scottish Highlands where the mercury exceeded 13C. However, forecasters believe just 1C is most likely there on Sunday March 15 due to the looming low pressure in the west.
It will feel even colder there and elsewhere across the UK due to a fierce westerly wind, which could hit speeds of 60mph on Sunday. A bitter 3C is expected more widely across the UK on Sunday, though again it will feel colder due to the nature of the gusts.
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Sunday marks the start of a colder period, during which a blizzard could envelope large parts of Scotland, northern England and the Midlands. Writing on its mid-range forecast, the Met Office says: “Atlantic frontal systems pass close to or across the UK at times. These will bring some occasional spells of rain or showers, most frequent in the west and northwest, and perhaps accompanied by strong winds… Some shorter-duration colder interludes [are expected] at times when frost and hill snow will be possible.”
But temperatures had exceeded average last week, including across parts of the Southeast of England. In fact, the mercury reached 19.2C in Northolt, west London, on Thursday, the Met Office recorded. The capital rarely sees temperatures greater than 12C this time of the year.
There is little threat of that from Sunday, though, due to the weather front barrelling across the Atlantic. Nick Finnis, meteorologist for Netweather, wrote on its blog: “After a mild and dry start to March. it looks to turn increasingly unsettled this coming week, with spells of rain or showers at times and also becoming windy. Turning colder later in the week, with risk of hill snow in the north and west and widespread overnight frost too.”
The blizzard, as the Mirror reported, will see snow fall across large swathes of the UK. Most of Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Northwest of England will see the heaviest of the flurries, meteorologists understand at this early stage.
BBC Weather says for March 16 to 29: “The second half of March will most likely start off with a similar pattern, with high pressure across the European continent while low pressure systems steer across the eastern North Atlantic. They will occasionally bring frontal systems across the UK.
