Weather forecast today: Snow for parts of UK as -7C cold snap continues with thunderstorms and heavy rain on the way
PARTS of the UK are set to see snow today and thunderstorms are on the way as a -7C cold snap drags on.
Met Office forecasters are predicting a chilly day for much of the country, before a band of heavy rain sweeps in later this week.
They expect “wintry showers” today in the North East and some light rain in places, while a dry but cold day is forecast for many.
Temperatures plunged as low as -7C early this morning in northern Scotland as the recent cold snap stubbornly continues.
The forecast for today reads: “Wintry showers continuing across the far North East.
“Scattered showers developing across Scotland and northern England.
“Cloudy with patchy rain for the far South West and West but most parts dry with intermittent weak sunshine.”
The mercury is set to remain at levels “slightly below average” throughout.
Going into tonight, the Met predicts rain in southern Wales, the South West and Northern Ireland, with some hill snow “possible” in Scotland.
The cold is expected to be accompanied by “isolated frost” in some parts.
The wintry showers are forecast to continue into tomorrow in the far North and Scotland, while southern areas could see drier, milder conditions for much of the day.
However, forecasters warn that “bands of rain” will “spill eastwards” later in the day.
The weekend forecast reads: “Heavy rain in the South clearing away East.
“Cloudy with rain at times in the North. Becoming warmer away from the far North with sunny spells but also heavy showers.”
The Met’s long-range forecast for next week then warns of more heavy rain as well as hail and thunderstorms.
Mist and fog are also expected before milder weather move in at the start of May.
Met Office meteorologist Dan Stroud said: “It’s rather cold out there at the moment thanks to these Northerly winds.
“There are a few showers continuing to affect parts of northern Scotland, and some of those showers have a bit of a wintry mix to them.
“Cloud across the South will help to actually keep those temperatures up a little bit, but further North across parts of Scotland with largely clear skies, those temperatures falling low enough for a widespread frost.
“Some rural parts in the Highlands could see temperatures similar to those we saw last night, down to -6C or -7C.”