Chilling start to Halloween as -4C Arctic winds whip in
BRITAIN woke to a frosty start today after Arctic winds blew in overnight, pushing temperatures below freezing.
Thermometers were forecast to dip to 24.8F (-4C) in the North while just slipping below freezing around much of the country.
But temperatures will return to double figures tomorrow.
Warmer air from the west will bring a settled and mild week to much of the UK. Trick-or-treaters should get away without a soaking tomorrow with a mostly dry Halloween night in store.
The Met Office’s Helen Roberts said: “There will be some decent sunshine around on Monday although it will be another chilly day across most of the country. There could be the odd wintry shower over high ground in Scotland.
Spilled
“Tuesday is again looking largely dry and temperatures will start to lift. Trick-or-treaters can expect a dry night apart from across western Scotland where there will be some patchy rain.
“The outlook this week is settled and milder than Monday although there could be some rain around and wind in the North.”
Britons returning to work and school after half-term will get a shock to the system after the recent mild weather.
Temperatures nudged 68F (20C) last week as mild southerly winds spilled into Britain before the mercury fell yesterday.
The change was due to high pressure to the west of Britain and low pressure to the east pulling in Arctic maritime air.
By midweek high pressure will be centred back over the UK allowing warmer air in from the Stormy Seaham, Co Durham, and tranquil Stourhead, Wilts, yesterday Atlantic. The cold snap sparked betting on snow falling on Halloween and again next month. Ladbrokes is offering 5/1 for a wintry shower on the spookiest night of the year with 5/4 on November snowfall.
Spokesman Alex Apati said: “It’s looking increasingly likely we’ll see some snow next month, and at 5/1 there’s a chance trickor-treaters will have to wrap up.” WeatherOnline’s John Ejdowski said the South will turn milder this week while colder conditions persist further north. He said: “Britain will be dominated by high pressure centred over England.
“Fronts will bring in some rain to the North at times with a change to more unsettled conditions by the weekend.”