Arctic blast to arrive in UK on Monday as temperatures plunge to -2C
An Arctic blast is on its way to the UK as temperatures are set to plunge to -2C in some areas of the UK on Monday – as the winter starts to bite.
Britons will face the coldest temperatures so far this season after the unprecedented summer heatwave finally comes to an end.
The Met Office has warned that temperatures will plummet to -2C in rural areas on Monday night and Northern Scotland may even see some snow at the start of next week.
The weather service said the atmosphere would begin to feel more autumnal and that temperatures would even fall below average for this time of year.
An Arctic blast is on its way to the UK as temperatures are set to plunge to -2C in some areas of the UK on Monday – as the winter starts to bite. Pictured: People punting along the River Cam in Cambridge today
Britons will face the coldest temperatures so far this season after the unprecedented summer heatwave finally comes to an end. Pictured: Sunny autumnal weather today in Bournemouth
The Met Office said the atmosphere would begin to feel more autumnal and that temperatures would even fall below average for this time of year. Lake Windermere in Cumbria is pictured on Friday
Met Office forecaster Aidan McGivern said: ‘Across the UK temperatures are going to be below average for the second half of the weekend and into Monday as well as Tuesday.
‘It’s certainly going to feel cold first thing with a touch of frost in the North and chilly winds.’
Last night temperatures dropped to -0.2C in Tyndrum in Scotland and may reach -4C next week.
Before now, the lowest temperature of the season was recorded at 1.7C at Shap in Cumbria on September 17.
Alexander Burkill, a senior meteorologist at the Met Office, said there would be: ‘A cold front pushing in from the north will bring rain and strong winds later tomorrow and overnight into Monday.
‘Behind it we will have cold, northerly air moving in which is why the weather will feel more autumnal this week.
The Met Office said: ‘It’s certainly going to feel cold first thing with a touch of frost in the North and chilly winds.’ Pictured: People punting along the River Cam in Cambridge today
‘Temperatures will be a little below average for the time of year with highs for most in the mid-teens Celsius, although some chillier spots in the north may stay in single figures.
‘Monday night into Tuesday looks likely to be the coldest when temperatures in prone rural spots are likely to dip a little below freezing, around -2C.
‘Thereafter there will be a gradually rise in temperatures but it will still feel more like autumn than of late due to brisk winds and some showers too.’
But some areas of the UK, such as London, will stay at a more moderate 15C.
The Met Office confirmed that weather would then become drier and brighter later in the week – but that the country will also see showers.
Mr Burkill added: ‘Cloud and rain will most likely spread from the west or southwest at times, with eastern areas perhaps drier on average, the winds may become strong at times, most likely in the northwest.
‘A shift towards more settled weather could possibly begin at the end of this period. Temperatures rather cold at first, then trending close to or slightly above average.
‘Low temperatures overnight will not be massively colder, I would expect Monday night through to Tuesday to be a cold one at -2C, and could be the coldest night of the season so far.
‘Because the winds are coming from a northerly direction, this will add to the cold feel by day, however because they are going so briskly, by night this will stop temperatures dropping as low as they could.’
In Ireland, temperatures could fall to 3C during the night.