Londoners will today experience chilly “feels like” temperatures of below zero and potential snow showers following record-breaking highs last week.
This morning in London, “feels like” temperatures were as low as -1C, according to the Met Office, with conditions set to plunge to -8C in other parts of the UK.
Forecasters predicted there could be sleet and slow tonight across the country - with forecaster Simon Partridge saying nowhere will be “immune” to wintry showers this evening.
The cold spell comes following record highs. Last Tuesday was the hottest March day in 53 years, with 24.5C recorded at Kew Gardens. The Easter weekend was mixed - with highs of 17.9C recorded in Pershore, Worcestershire, on Easter Sunday.
The March record is 25.6C set in 1968 at Mepal in Cambridgeshire. But the lowest daily temperature reported for March in the UK was –22.8°C at Logie, Aberdeenshire, in March 1958.
Today, temperatures in London will reach a maximum of 7C, dipping to -1C overnight.
Tonight is forecast to be the coldest this week, with the mercury plummeting to -5C in some areas of southern and central England.
There are also snow warnings in place for northern Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland until 10am Wednesday, with as much as 2cm falling in higher areas.
Tomorrow there will be highs of 8C, and Thursday 11C. Friday will see highs of 12C.
Conditions will stay clear - with no rain predicted after tonight’s potential wintry flurry until Saturday where temperatures will hit a maxim of 9C. Sunday will be 10C.
Met Office forecaster Simon Partridge said: “Through the afternoon [on Tuesday] we might even get a few homegrown showers, so really anywhere tomorrow could catch a wintry shower by the time we get to the end of the afternoon.
“Nobody is entirely immune to the odd bit of sleet or snow. It won’t last long and it won’t settle for very long either, but nobody is going to be 100 per cent safe from not seeing anything.”
Chief Meteorologist, Dan Suri, said: “The Met Office has been signalling a dramatic change in weather type for several days, with very cold air moving from the Arctic through Sunday night, bringing snow showers and freezing overnight temperatures and all accompanied by strong northerly winds accentuating the cold.
“Although snow showers will predominantly affect the north and north west, they could occur almost anywhere in the UK early this week, at least temporarily.
“Even in southern parts of the UK daytime maximum temperatures will struggle to rise above 9.0 °C, and although this region is likely to remain drier, the occasional wintry shower cannot be ruled out.”
