Last week’s sunny 21C highs will soon be a distant memory, as Arctic air sweeps across the UK from tomorrow, delivering a sharp return to winter. UK snow maps are signalling a 480-mile blizzard set to sweep from the Scottish Highlands to the south coast in early April.
The late-season Arctic blast is expected between April 3 and 5, bringing heavy snow, disruptive winds and temperatures plunging as low as -9C during the Easter weekend.
480-mile blizzard heading for UK – when and where snow is most likely
Forecast charts suggest the cold plunge will begin over Scotland late on 3 April 3, before pushing into northern England and the Midlands on April 4 and continuing south into the early hours of April 5.
Snowfall totals are currently projected to reach around 5-10cm in parts of eastern Scotland and higher ground, with lighter but still disruptive falls possible further south.
Even where snow does not pile up significantly, a mix of sleet, wet snow and freezing temperatures could make roads and pavements treacherous, particularly first thing in the morning.
How cold will it get?
Behind the main snow band, skies are expected to clear at times, allowing temperatures to plummet overnight.
Forecasts warn that rural parts of Scotland and northern England could fall as low as -9C by the morning of April 5, with daytime highs in some northern regions struggling to get above -2C or -3C during the peak of the cold snap.
Further south, values are likely to sit closer to freezing, but brisk northerly winds will make it feel significantly colder than the thermometer suggests.
Temporary snow cover is forecast to extend into parts of southern England, including areas close to the English Channel, before conditions slowly turn more changeable again into the second week of April.
