UK Weather – Britain could be hit by snow as bitter northerly winds bring freezing temperatures over Easter, forecasters have warned.
The Met Office said wintry showers could hit large swathes of the UK as temperatures plummet next week.
The warning is a fresh blow for Britons anxiously awaiting the arrival of spring after two bitterly cold weather fronts brought chaos to the UK earlier this month.
Met Office forecaster Becky Mitchell said mild weather would remain in the south-east of England in the next few days, with temperatures reaching highs of around 13C on Sunday.
But a cold snap is set to arrive in northern parts of the UK from early next week.
“It’s looking increasingly likely that it’s turning colder,” said Ms Mitchell.
“It looks like it will turn colder in the north first on Monday and Tuesday, but by Wednesday and Thursday most places will be feeling quite a bit colder.
“The air is coming down from the north, which means perhaps we will see some wintry showers towards the back end of next week.
“Anywhere that does get snow looks like it could be in the north, but there could be wintry showers across the country and there will be widespread frosts.”
She added: “By the middle of next week, it looks like temperatures will be -3C or -4C in some places; it will feel colder than the last few days.
It comes just days after much of the UK was hit by fresh snowfall as a ‘mini Beast from the East’ brought freezing weather to Britain.
Earlier in the month, a prolonged spell of freezing weather saw snowfall and bitterly cold winds bring chaos to much of the country.
