Britons can expect a dose of weather whiplash after this weekend, forecasters have warned. Weather forecasts show an Arctic blast wheeling towards the country and descending over Scotland and northern England from Sunday, April 23. The cold could see temperatures in some areas dip as low as -7C before increasing to 19C in a matter of days.
Speaking to Express.co.uk, Brian Glaze, the director and forecaster for the Weather Outlook, said a “plunge of cold Arctic air” would settle over the UK between Sunday and Monday, April 24.
While snow is possible where the cold air settles, namely over northern areas and Scotland, the coldest temperatures would come with significant frost.
Mr Glaze warned that parts of Scotland could see “sharp frosts”, with computer models showing temperatures dipping “as low as -7C on Monday and Tuesday nights in the Scottish Glens”.
The forecaster said he expects the bitter chill will stick around until Tuesday, April 25 before temperatures rise back towards the spring average.
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The coming week will bring a “big contrast” to the sudden mid-April snap back to winter.
Mr Glaze said: “The weather may serve up some big contrasts next week because later on there are signs of much warmer air pushing up from the southwest.
“After the wintry start, it is not out of the question that temperatures in the south could surge to 19C before April ends.”
The Met Office said it expects “erratic” conditions from the coming Tuesday as the weather struggles to settle ahead of May.
The agency’s long-range forecast, which covers April 25 to May 4, said the midweek would bring “outbreaks of rain” followed by “milder conditions”.
The milder weather, forecasters predicted, would start in the southeast before “erratically spreading northeastwards”.
The forecast said there was “some uncertainty” as to how quickly the warmth would reach the far north.
Wet weather would still cling to some areas, namely the west, while Britons staying in the southeast remain “mostly dry”.
As May begins, the Met Office said the month would start “colder than average” before a “gradual upward trend in temperatures”.
Weather maps from WXCharts tentatively indicate that early May will gradually warm up.
On May 2, temperature forecasts show the mercury will hit 10C or 11C, while maps for May 3 show highs up to 17C.
But, with more than a week to go until the month begins, there is still uncertainty as to whether these predictions will hold true.
