The UK could see snowfall this week with temperatures set to drop dramatically in the coming days, forecasters have said.
After enjoying warmer weather and experiencing the hottest day of the year so far in March, the country will become colder, cloudier from Monday.
The daytime will see temperatures halve from the highs of 20C reached last week, and they’re expected to drop below freezing overnight, the Met Office said.
A cold air mass is expected to arrive on Monday evening and will push into the north of the UK before slowly sinking southwards, bringing cooler more unsettled weather.
Snow is expected to fall in Scotland and the north of England from Wednesday, which will see the most of the wintry weather, with temperatures of 8C expected.
The frosty conditions will hit parts of central England and northern Wales, which are expected to be the worst affected – overnight into Thursday and Friday.
Temperatures will fall considerably lower than freezing, towards minus 4C, with up to four inches of snow expected to settle across these areas.
Showers will also be possible for much of the country on Friday before a high pressure from the west will see wintry winds, more frequently in the north and east.
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.”
London and the southeast of England
Monday will see bright and sunny spells before turning colder on Tuesday which will be cloudier for most with outbreaks of showers, and a maximum temperature of 11C.
Wintry showers will begin to approach on Wednesday evening, and are expected fall on Thursday and Friday with frost also building up overnight.