A BLAST of cold air from the Arctic will send temperatures plummeting this weekend putting parts of Britain at risk of SNOW.
Bone-numbing -7C (19.4F) gales will scour the far north coasts amid forecasts the entire country is about to get an early taste of winter.
A frigid finger of icy air driven by bitter northerly winds will prod Scotland and northern England pushing the mercury below zero.
Southern regions which have basked in near 25C (77F) warmth this week will also feel the chill with frosts possible anywhere in the country.
A change in wind direction dragging air in from the Arctic region as high pressure wedges over Britain has been blamed for the cold snap.
Temperatures will plunge on Friday after a relatively balmy week saw parts of the UK rival the Mediterranean.
Met Office spokeswoman Nicola Maxey said: “It is going to turn colder towards the weekend with a northerly flow of Arctic air bringing temperatures down compared to earlier in the week.
“Friday will feel colder and we could see some patchy frosts first thing, daytime temperatures will reach the mid-teens at best and it will feel colder in the north.
“Overnight into Saturday we could see more widespread frosts with temperatures widely dropping, anywhere in the country could see a frost.
“It will stay cooler into Sunday and after some morning fog there is the likelihood of sunny spells with daytime temperatures around the mid-teens again.”
Coastal regions will turn windy with winds likely to reach gale-force across northern parts of the country, she warned.
She added: “There will be blustery showers around on Saturday and along northern coasts there will be the risk of gales.
“Across the southern half of the country there is more of a chance of seeing some sunshine, the risk of frosts will continue into the start of next week.
“There may be some sleet or wet snow over high ground in the north on Sunday night.”
