BRITS are set for snow and ice next week as temperatures are set to drop to below freezing with the Met Office warning of potential 'wintry showers'.
Forecasters have revealed that tomorrow is the last day to enjoy the scorching hot weather before the flurry of white stuff hits.
Temperatures have soared to 21C in the past few days, but parts of the UK could dip to as low as -3C before the snow starts to settle.
From Wednesday a band of snow will move down from the north and blanket Scotland and the northern parts of England in around four inches of snow.
By Thursday it will have moved over northern parts of England, possibly dumping up to nine inches according to WX Charts.
The Met Office added wintry showers are also possible across the country, especially in the North and East.
Read our weather live blog for the latest news and forecasts…
- Louis Allwood
The last chance to do these gardening jobs (2/2)
While your garden will start to thrive with warmer weather, you will also notice an increase in pests such as slugs.
William said you should be preparing preventative measures for this before April arrives.
He explained: “This can be done using natural deterrents like coffee grounds, wood ashes, or sand but can also be done by purchasing products that keep away the slugs using chemicals.”
- Louis Allwood
The last chance to do these gardening jobs (1/2)
William Mitchel from Sutton Manor Nursery told Express.co.uk that there are a number of last-minute jobs to tackle in March.
William said that you should cut back your plants to make your outdoor space not only visually attractive but also to allow for newer shoots to come through.
He explained: “It is very important to get rid of, or cut back any overgrown grasses or perennial plants that have built up over the winter months and become an eye-sore.”
You should prune flower shrubs like buddleia, clematis, hebes and hydrangeas, and take off dead flowers so you are left with healthier outward-facing bulbs.
- Louis Allwood
Possible highs of 16C in Cardiff tomorrow
A murky start for many with low cloud. Brightening up during the morning.
Feeling pleasant in the afternoon sunny spells, but scattered cloud could produce the odd sharp shower with maximum temperatures of 16 °C.
- Louis Allwood
London outlook for Tuesday to Thursday
Sunny spells on Tuesday, with a risk of showers.
Colder from Wednesday as a band of rain sinks south.
Showers likely on Wednesday and Thursday, turning windy in the south.
- Louis Allwood
'A change is on the way'
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.”
- Milica Cosic
Thank you for reading my coverage this morning. My colleague, Louis Allwood, will be looking after the blog until 10pm tonight.
- Milica Cosic
Revellers hit the town to take advantage of 20C weekend scorcher yesterday
REVELLERS are celebrating the arrival of British summertime with huge boozy parties tonight.
The clocks sprang forward an hour at 1am, meaning lighter evenings are finally here.
The change will mean less time for a lie-in on Sunday – but that hasn't stopped thousands of people heading out to make the most of the night.
After a day of stunning blue skies and 20C sunshine, the streets of major cities are busy with people enjoying a mild evening.
It follows a gorgeous day of weather which saw families head for the coast to enjoy a swim.
Temperatures at this time of year are usually around 12 or 13C, meaning the past few days have given an unusually early blast of summer.
- Milica Cosic
Increasing likelihood of rain for most parts of the UK next week
Showers are also expected to hit large swathes of the country next week, with many turning into wintry flurries in the freezing temperatures.
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.”
- Milica Cosic
Exact date cold snap will hit
Forecasters have revealed that tomorrow is the last day to enjoy the scorching hot weather before the flurry of white stuff hits.
From Wednesday a band of snow will move down from the north and blanket Scotland and the northern parts of England in around four inches of snow.
By Thursday it will have moved over northern parts of England, possibly dumping up to nine inches according to WX Charts.
Two or three inches will settle on the ground in Wales later in the week, and Northern Ireland should also see some flurries.
- Milica Cosic
UK weather outlook for Tuesday and Wednesday
Tuesday will then be generally dull with thick cloud cover around and some patchy outbreaks of rain and drizzle. Brighter spells will develop during the afternoon.
Wednesday will be mainly cloudy with spells of rain and showers which may turn wintry across hills in the north during the afternoon.
- Milica Cosic
Tomorrow's weather (Monday)
There will be early patches of mist which lift and clear during the morning.
It will then be mainly dry during the day however there will be large areas of thick cloud cover around and some spells of rain or drizzle which will be mostly across northern England.
Brighter spells will develop later.
- Milica Cosic
The week ahead’s looking to get colder
BRITS hit the beaches yesterday as mercury hit 20C, bringing plenty of blue skies and sunshine in most parts of the UK. The dry and settled weather should continue into Sunday for most.
In a massive weather U-turn, forecasters have warned the week ahead is set to get colder with temperatures of -3C across isolated rural areas of Scotland.
By Tuesday, the Met Office says a cold air mass will push into the north of the UK, before slowly sinking towards the south. Wintry showers are also on the cards for most of the country, and will be most frequent in the north and east.
Its Chief Meteorologist, Paul Gundersen, says: “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.”
He added: “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.”
Jim Dale, meteorologist for British Weather Services, also adds we’ll all be feeling the brunt of the colder air and, “will be back in coats and jumpers.”
Looking further ahead into April, Brits can expect even more unsettled weather, including thundery conditions and hail around the middle of the month.
- Milica Cosic
Tonight's weather
If you're heading out for a drink tonight for Mother's Day, we'd advise you bring a jacket with you.
It'll be a dry evening with clear spells for most however areas of thick cloud will linger across central and eastern England.
Overnight will then be mainly dry with clear spells however patches of mist and fog will form quite widely. Large areas of cloud cover will build bringing a chance of drizzle.
- Louis Allwood
Britain facing 60mph gales
Brits will be faced with stormy weather and winds of close to 60 miles per hour hitting the UK, after a week of high temperatures.
The high pressure which has brought this nicer, milder weather will then drift off westwards, according to the latest BBC Weather for the Week ahead report.
It will be replaced by lower pressures and lower temperatures.
On March 31, rainy weather and high winds will pick up across much of the UK.
Northern Ireland could see a max wind gust of 50 miles per hour.
Conditions will be even worse on April 3, with winds expected to be stronger.
Maximum gusts of around 51.6mph are likely to hit parts of northern Wales, according to maps from WX Charts.
And in London, the speed is predicted to reach just shy of 60 miles per hour (59.5).
Jim Dale from the British Weather Services said low pressures with air from Scandinavia will take over from next week.
Mr Dale added: “[There will be] snow too by the middle of the week for the mountains of Scotland and Scotland as a whole.”
- Milica Cosic
Mother's Day weather so far
A cloudier start across eastern areas this morning, with the cloud pushing further west but lifting and breaking up.
Elsewhere clear and sunny skies.
It looks like the temperatures will be staying in single figures today, where the cloud persists.
- Milica Cosic
Good morning! Milica Cosic logging on and I’ll be bringing you the latest news and updates on the UK weather.
- Louis Allwood
UK weather outlook for Sunday and Monday
Patches of mist and fog will soon clear on Sunday to reveal a dry and bright day with sunny spells however there will be more cloud across southern areas.
Monday will be mainly dry but dull with large areas of cloud and a chance of a few showers developing. Bright spells will break through at times.
- Louis Allwood
London weather forecast for this weekend
Mainly dry with sunny spells, prolonged at times, and light winds.
Mist and fog patches possible in the mornings.
Warm by day, but remaining chilly overnight with some frost possible.
- Louis Allwood
Next week 'will be noticeably more colder than at present, says Met Office
Met Office meteorologist Becky Mitchell said: "Temperatures are due to fall to around the average for the time of year but it will be noticeably colder than at present.
"Showers on Tuesday and Wednesday could turn to hill snow in Scotland and some of those wintry showers could spread into north-east England."
But the meteorologist said most parts of England and Wales are still due to stay fine and dry.
She also warned gardeners not to be too tempted to get the trowel out as the potential sharp frosts could affect plants.
- Louis Allwood
You’ve been using your hot tub all wrong and it could why your bills are so high
HOT tubs are flying off the shelves now that the sunshine has returned here in the UK.
But your new relaxing jacuzzi might leave you a little red in the face once your electricity bill arrives. Luckily we've got tips on how to cut costs so you don't have to give up the back garden luxury.
With plenty of retailers bargaining off their own stock, you might have been tempted to make a purchase of your own.
B&M slashed the price of its four person spa from £400 to just £350 last week.
While, Morrisons stocked its shelves with a bargain £300 version that shoppers could add to the trolley.
But energy saving experts at Loop say that some of the least energy efficient models – which are often the cheapest ones – could add a whopping £300 per month to electricity bills.
And those bills are only set to rise further in just a matter of days when the energy price cap creeps up again.
Most households will have to fork out almost another £700 for their bills when the change comes in on April 1.
And the energy saving experts said that a hot tub is one of the worst garden culprits for adding to energy bills.
- Louis Allwood
Weather for the start of next week
Remaining warm initially, but gradually turning more unsettled with showers and rain.
These turning wintry in the north as colder conditions filter southwards with light winds, patchy fog and frost overnight.
- Louis Allwood
Sunday will be a bit cooler
Across the far north of Scotland there will be some cloudier conditions.
An easterly breeze is expected to pick up as the day moves into Sunday, bringing some misty conditions off the North Sea.
Western parts of the UK will remain clear, bringing with it a rather cold night as temperatures drop to 2-3C.
Eastern parts on Sunday will remain misty and murky first thing with some parts of the Midlands also affected although it will still remain dry.
- Louis Allwood
Where is the cleanest air in the UK?
The majority of Scotland has good air quality at the moment, as well as Northern Ireland.
Wales has moderate air pollution across the country with low pollution in Anglesey.
In the fight against rising emissions, Brighton and Hove are the cities closest to becoming net zero on carbon emissions per capita, according to research by AlldayPA.
According to IQ's Air's World Air Quality Report, in 2021 Midlothian, just south of Edinburgh, Scotland had the cleanest air.
English counties of Wiltshire and Berkshire were not far behind but were the only two counties in England to make the top ten list, the rest were in Scotland or Wales.
- Louis Allwood
The dreaded ‘cold snap’
Change is coming following the early summer warmth as the airflow shifts from south-easterly to north and north-easterly.
The high pressure area will move south, ushering in cool weather in its wake.
This is set to bring a more wintry feel to most of the country by Tuesday next week.
Sharp frosts are then expected to send temperatures plummeting to as low as -3C across the country – throwing Britain into a bitterly “cold snap”.
There is even the possibility of snow falling in some areas.
Wintry showers are forecast in Scotland which could extend into north–east England.
While patchy low cloud could also be drawn in off the North Sea, smothering coastal areas.
Met Office meteorologist Becky Mitchell said: “Temperatures are due to fall to around the average for the time of year but it will be noticeably colder than at present.
“Showers on Tuesday and Wednesday could turn to hill snow in Scotland and some of those wintry showers could spread into north-east England.”
- Louis Allwood
It’s hay fever season
Experts have warned rising temperatures may cause tree pollen levels to spike in the UK.
And a third of people with hayfever admitted to staying indoors because their allergies are too severe, a poll found.
It is thought climate change is increasing temperatures and elongating the pollen season.
Jin Zhang, global medical director at Kimberly-Clark UK, said: “When temperatures rise, primary sources of pollutants tend to increase, making the air quality even more challenging for millions of hay fever sufferers.
“As such, global warming will likely cause pollen seasons to start earlier and last longer.”
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