UK cold weather: Brutal -1C Polar blast to hammer Britain as far south as Cornwall
Weather forecasters suggest an early morning cold blitz for some Britons this week.
Cold weather appears set to redevelop in late April, maps suggest, as some parts of the UK could see temperatures plummet below zero within days.
April is famously a month of atmospheric to-and-fros, with many hot days over the last two weeks having been followed by a cold plunge.
Now, just a few days after the Met Office recorded the hottest temperatures of 2024 so far, another cold spell appears to be on the horizon.
WXCharts maps covering the next few days show an incoming burst of cold air that could envelop the country from near tip to toe. The system, the service suggests, will arrive on April 18 and cause some temperatures to drop to -1C.
Minimum temperature maps from the provider, which uses data from MetDesk, show that the mercury will start to drop from 3am on Friday.
Unusually for the month, they suggest the coldest lows will develop in England, as far north as Newcastle and south as Cornwall.
Over most of that roughly 450-mile distance, thermometers will read 0C in the early morning, with an isolated -1C patch over the Yorkshire Dales.
Atmospheric maps show a similar temperature change several hundred feet above the surface.
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Temperatures 1,500 metres above the UK's boundary layer could drop to between 0C and -5C as Britons freeze below.
Wind gust maps show that, in at least one sense, the country will see a little reprieve, with gentle breezes categorising the early morning period.
And Met Office maps show the period will be short-lived, with the country gradually warming to highs of 12C, around the seasonal average.
The following day will see similar temperatures, with the long-range forecast covering April 21 to 30 suggesting the temperatures "a little below average" will follow.
The forecast states: "High pressure should ensure a fine and dry day for most of the UK on Sunday, and in any sunshine and light winds it should feel warm.
"Perhaps cloudier across some northern and eastern areas where the odd spot of rain or shower is possible, although these should be light.
"Into next week, the high is likely to withdraw to the west a little, and this will open the door to cooler and less settled conditions, with some rain or showers mainly affecting the north and east, with the best chance of staying dry across western and southern parts.
"After a brief warmer interlude on Sunday temperatures are likely to trend back toward or a little below average."
