Temperatures are predicted to plummet to minus 8C and below this week as northerly winds bring Arctic chill to the UK. The change in weather conditions is also expected to bring snow to parts of the country.
A yellow warning is in place for northern Scotland on Wednesday, with the Met Office advising snow could cause disruption to road, bus and train journeys. The change in winds from the east to the north will see temperatures go below average for the time of year.
Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill said: “At the moment we have an easterly flow and as such our winds are coming from the east and that is a cold direction and it is cold out. However from Tuesday onwards we are going to get a northerly flow, so our winds coming from the north, that is Arctic air leading to our temperatures dropping even further as we go through this week.
"It’s going to turn even colder and feel even colder still with temperatures well below average for the time of year both by day and by night."
And while the worst of the snow should be confined to the north of Scotland, low temperatures are likely to affect much of the UK. Mr Burkill warned temperatures overnight Wednesday into Thursday would drop to minus 7C or minus 8C – or even colder.
He added: “It looks like the cold is going to be very widespread. Perhaps Northern Ireland and East Anglia won’t be that cold, maybe just a degree or two below freezing, otherwise we are talking about several degrees below freezing across Scotland, Wales.
“Much of England, including the South West, we could see temperatures of minus 5C or minus 6C which is exceptionally cold. We have a snow warning across the northern half of Scotland for Wednesday and that is when the snow showers coming from the north will be most impactful, they will probably start on Tuesday and we will see very significant snow in the north.
“It looks like it could last a week, the northerly flow is going to stay with us, it’s not going to be particularly unsettled, so there will be some showers, it’s mostly going to be largely dry but cold. From the middle of next week there are some signs we may see some more unsettled weather with milder weather coming up from the south but it’s far away at the moment."
