It’s first weekend of spring... so stand by for flurries of snow
CHILLY winds, rain and even a touch of snow will ensure a miserable first weekend of spring.
A queue of low pressure systems in the Atlantic are due to sweep the country over the next few days.
But the waterproofs can soon go back on their peg – forecasters reckon Britain will bask in a sunny taste of spring later next week.
Meanwhile, temperatures will hover below average across most of the country dipping to -5C (23F) overnight in the North, experts say.
The Environment Agency yesterday issued 14 flood alerts across Britain with a coming together of heavy rain and high tides.
Met Office spokeswoman Nicola Maxey said yesterday’s rain will continue “and there is the potential for this to turn wintry over high ground in the North.
“We are then looking at a fairly wet and windy weekend with most people seeing some rain”.
Temperatures will remain slightly below average with possible overnight lows of -5C in rural regions. However, some parts of Britain will catch a little sunshine and higher temperatures.
Unsettled conditions from the Atlantic could bring a brief pulse of warmer air to southern Britain, according to forecasters.
The Met Office said last night that early figures show winter has been drier and milder than normal, with February temperatures around 1.6C above average.
It said final statistics, due to be released later, are likely to reveal it has been Britain’s ninth mildest winter on record.
Mark McCarthy, climate scientist at the National Climate Information Centre, said: “This winter has been dry for most of Britain.
“What is unusual is the combination of mild and dry conditions, as these factors do not usually go hand in hand in a typical UK winter.
“This is due to spells of high pressure bringing settled, calm conditions being mixed with depressions pulling warm up air from the South.”