Brits face an icy weekend with temperatures dropping as low as -4C up and down the country with snow, rain and hail falling.
It has been a freezing start to April due to Arctic air coming down from the north with temperatures below average and it is even colder than Norwegian capital Oslo over the weekend where temperatures are not expected to drop below zero.
But there is warmer weather on the horizon with temperatures expected to be in the mid-teens for the Easter weekend although the mercury is then set to drop again.
Lows this week of -5C are significantly colder than the average minimum temperature for April which is 3.75C between 1991 and 2020.
But it is also some way short of the coldest temperature on record for the weekend of April 9 and 10 which are -10.5C in Belper, Derbyshire, in 1973 and -10.1C in Grantown-on-Spey in Morayshire, in 1978.
While the mercury may get up to 16C over Easter thanks a high pressure system moving in, maps from WXCharts also show that it could dip to -6C the weekend after.
The odds have also been shortened to 1/3 on it being the wettest April ever.
Alex Apati of Ladbrokes said: "The latest odds suggest this month could well be a record-breaking washout."
BBC forecaster Greg Dewhurst said: “This weekend high pressure starts to move in but notice it is still quite chilly.
"However as we go into next week warm air starts to move in from the south courtesy of low pressure slowly moving in from the west so it will become warmer but also at the risk of some heavier rain in the west in particular as well."
Going into Saturday and Mr Dewhurst said that where skies clear the temperatures could get as low as -4C.
"The risk of showers across the Midlands, Wales, pushing south into southern England, some of these heavy, the odd rumble of thunder and hail in there too," he said.
"Elsewhere particularly as we get into the early hours we will see clearing skies develop, a few showers still possibly across Northern Ireland and Scotland, these falling as sleet and snow above 150 to 200m, perhaps one to two centimetres of snow across the higher ground of Scotland.
"Some icy stretches possible here and with those clear skies we will see temperatures tumbling down to freezing in town and cities, below in the countryside, -2 to -4 is possible.”
UK forecast for the next 5 days
A few showers about today, Sunday mostly fine.
Today:
Northern Scotland remaining windy and showery, showers heavy at times and wintry. Elsewhere, sunny spells, but also a few showers away from the southwest. Showers less frequent and less heavy than yesterday though. Also a little warmer than yesterday.
Tonight:
Early evening showers soon becoming confined to northern Scotland where showers still wintry for some. Otherwise, a cold night with long clear spells and widespread frost.
Sunday:
A chilly start and then most areas will be fine, dry and bright. Still a few showers over the far north of Scotland though. Feeling warmer than on Saturday.
Outlook for Monday to Wednesday:
Cloudy and breezy with some rain spreading northeast during Monday and Tuesday. Drier and less windy on Wednesday. Becoming warmer in the south, but remaining cold in the north.
