Britons were waking up to a cold snap this weekend as temperatures plunged, with even chillier weather set for Sunday.
Just a week ago, sunseekers in parts of England and Wales were basking in an unseasonable warm spell, with highs of nearly 26C – the highest in October for five years.
Temperatures overnight are expected to fall as low minus 5C in Scotland and Northern Ireland, and just above freezing for most of the rest of the UK.
Alex Deakin, Met Office meteorologist, said: “Be prepared for a chill.
“It is much colder out there for many, certainly compared to recent mornings and certainly a lot colder than last weekend.”
He warned: “If you’re heading out this evening then be prepared for those temperatures to be dropping pretty rapidly.”
Snow is also expected to fall over the hills in northern Scotland, where strong winds are making temperatures feel colder.
Showers will be frequent in the north and west of the UK, with sunshine over eastern England and southern Scotland.
Mr Deakin added: “Temperatures are struggling to get into the teens across the south and many places further north.
“It’s 10C or 11C at best – add on the strength of the wind across northern Scotland and it really does feel cold”.
Temperatures across the south of England are lower than average for this time of year and expected to fall even further later Saturday and overnight, Mr Deakin said.
Sunday will see an even colder start compared with Saturday, with a greater chance of a frost over northern England, Northern Ireland and Scotland, especially in rural areas.
“Again on Sunday evening, those temperatures will be falling away pretty rapidly. High pressure looks like dominating into it next week,” Mr Deakin added.
