The Met Office has warned that colder conditions will return early next week, ending the recent spell of warmer weather.
Much of the UK is seeing dry and mild weather this weekend, but a sharp drop in temperatures is expected. Saturday was largely dry, with above-average temperatures of 17 to 19°C in many areas. Areas in the north of were forecast to see rain and stronger winds, with patchy showers in the southwest.
The average UK daytime maximum temperature in March is 9.2C – an average that takes in all of the country across the whole month. However the unusually warm and sunny weather has seen parts of the UK warmer than some southern European holiday destinations.
Sunday will bring another mild day with sunshine for most and a top of 18°C in London, while persistent rain will affect the far north of Scotland.
But a shift begins on Monday as a band of rain moves south, introducing colder air. Wintry showers are likely in northern and northeastern areas.
By Tuesday, temperatures will fall below average. Rural parts of Scotland could see lows of -4°C overnight, while daytime highs will range between 5-8°C across much of the UK.
Deputy Chief Meteorologist at the Met Office, Chris Bulmer explains: “A frontal zone will move south across the UK during Sunday night and Monday with much colder air following from the north.
“With these cold northeasterly winds, we are likely to see some wintry showers across the north and the east of the UK next week, but any accumulations of snow are likely to be largely restricted to hills. We’ll also see a return to overnight frosts in many areas.
“While there is uncertainty in the extent of rain and wintry showers through the middle of next week, there is higher confidence that below average temperatures will continue through the week, bringing a very different feel to the mild weather over the weekend.”
