Temperatures to plunge next week with chance of sleet and snow
Temperatures are set to plunge again midway through next week, with the chance of sleet and snow falling in some areas. The Met Office said a brief return to slightly milder conditions would make way for a widespread chilly spell, with temperatures potentially falling as low as -8C. It comes after northern and eastern parts of the UK experienced sub-zero temperatures on both Friday and Saturday evening.
Greg Dewhurst, meteorologist at the Met Office, said: “Overall, (it is) generally a cold week to come – less cold tonight into tomorrow morning, for a time a short, less cold spell, before frost and fog are the main features initially. “Then (there is) potential for some rain and some hill snow as we move through the latter part of Wednesday into Thursday.” An area of low pressure moving in from the south west on Thursday could meet colder air and create rain across southern England and Wales which could turn to snow over higher ground. There will also be a risk of some wintry showers in the northern half of the UK with the potential for hill snow, with temperatures below average. Mr Dewhurst said the vast majority of the UK will be frost-free on Sunday night, due to the cloud and rain around, with temperatures generally between 3C and 6C. Scotland could see temperatures dip as low as -3C, with showers possibly turning into sleet and snow over higher ground. England, Wales and Northern Ireland will be quite cloudy with outbreaks of rain on Monday morning, before an area of low pressure pulls south eastwards towards the continent to create brighter spells. Figures will peak in double figures in southern England and Wales on Monday but will begin to slide heading into Tuesday, which will be largely dry with some early fog and sunny spells. It will be a widely frosty evening on Tuesday night, with temperatures generally around -2C to -5C and possibly as low as -8C in the far north of England and rural Scotland. The coldest recorded temperature so far this autumn was -7.7C in Shap, Cumbria, in the early hours of Saturday morning.
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