UK temperatures will plummet below zero this week, bringing the country’s recent warm spell to a screeching end.
Parts of the country saw the mercury exceed 25C this weekend in an early-autumn heat blast, with southeast England reporting highs of 25.8C and wall-to-wall sunshine.
Unfortunately for some Britons, a north-south split meant that while temperatures remained generally high across the country, Scotland saw severe rainfall spark widespread flooding.
Temperatures are expected to remain higher than average this week, but only during the daytime.
Met Office forecasters have predicted the descent of a bitter chill overnight in the next few days, with the mercury plummeting to zero and below.
The weather agency has released its predictions for the coming week, showing that temperatures will continue to stretch into the 20C range during the day.
On October 9, temperatures will reach highs of 21C in the north and 25C in the south, dropping by more than 15C at night to 8C in both regions.
Temperatures will remain relatively high the following day, staying at 21C in the north while dropping slightly to 24C in the south.
But the nighttime will bring a marked departure, causing the mercury to drop to zero and below.
On Tuesday, October 10, northerners can expect lows of 0C, and the following day will bring -1C.
People living in the north will see overall temperature changes of 21C and 20C in just a few short hours.
Over the rest of the week until Friday, October 13, the Met Office has predicted lows of 0C at night in the north, while the south is barely warmer – between 2C and 8C.
The forecaster’s long-range forecast expects the north-south split will dissipate between October 13 and 22, with rainy conditions working their way to the southeast from Scotland.
The forecast states: “Heavy rain is expected to arrive into the southwest early on Friday, later spreading north-eastwards into central parts of the UK.
“Further north, a mixture of showers and sunny spells are likely, with the potential for strong blustery winds in places. Over the weekend, a general showery theme is expected to become more prevalent, with the best of any dry conditions likely to be in the southwest.”
