More snow on the way as Arctic freeze to plunge temperatures to -8C

Temperatures could plummet to -8C in parts of the country as a cold blast of Arctic air is set to sweep across the UK this week.

After a warm Bank Holiday weekend, temperatures dropped significantly on Easter Monday causing snow to fall in northern parts of England and Scotland.

Weather forecasters have warned that the frosty weather is here to stay and no parts of the country will be ‘immune’ to sleet and snow, with weather warnings issued.

The Met Office said Britons should expect ‘wintry showers, frost and some icy patches’ on Tuesday, with temperatures getting colder throughout the week.

Most will wake to a cold start on Tuesday morning with temperatures hovering around -2C in southern England and -5C in the north.

Later in the afternoon, temperatures in southern England and Wales will hit highs of 7C and 3C in northern Scotland.

But temperatures will feel ‘close to if not just below freezing’ across the country, with the wind chill sweeping across the Shetlands hitting -6C and -5C across the rest of Scotland, said the Met Office.

Forecaster Simon Partridge said wintry showers will sweep across Wales, south-west England, and down the east coast during the day.

He said: ‘Through the afternoon we might even get a few homegrown showers, so really anywhere tomorrow could catch a wintry shower by the time we get to the end of the afternoon.

‘Nobody is entirely immune to the odd bit of sleet or snow. It won’t last long and it won’t settle for very long either, but nobody is going to be 100% safe from not seeing anything.’

Snow warnings are in place for northern Scotland until 10am, with as much as 2cm falling in higher areas.

A separate yellow warning for snow and ice is also in place for west Wales and Northern Ireland until 10am, with up to 4cm expected to fall.

Tuesday night is forecast to be the coldest this week, with the mercury plummeting to -5C in southern and central England in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

In the north of England and into Scotland, temperatures are expected to hover around – 6C to -8C.

Wednesday will be a mostly dry day, with temperatures forecast to be around 8C to 10C in the south.

There will be a further ‘cold plunge of northerly Arctic air’ across the UK going ino Friday bringing further snow, said the Met.

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