Sunny respite before snow sweeps in again
BRITAIN will enjoy a brief respite from the cold this weekend before another icy blast roars in next week.
Temperatures will nudge double figures tomorrow with highs of almost 54F (12C) forecast in the South.
Milder conditions will hold out into the start of next week although Britons should not hang up their winter coats just yet.
Bitter easterly winds threaten to sweep the country from midweek, pushing temperatures back below freezing.
Scotland and northern England will be on snow alert once more, with wintry showers on their way.
James Madden, forecaster for Exacta Weather, said February is already shaping up to be one of the coldest on record.
He said: “Currently the mean central England temperature is hovering at 1C below average for the month.
“With the possibility of another severe cold snap on the horizon there is the potential for February to be a record-breaker.
“Further cold weather means further snow and on current indications we could still be in for some significant snowfall during the latter part of this month and into March.”
Met Office forecaster Craig Snell said temperatures will nosedive from Wednesday although it is still uncertain how cold it will get. It will follow a milder but cloudy weekend.
He said: “Sunday will be cloudier but again where there are sunny breaks we could see temperatures of between 42F and 50F with 53.6F possible in parts.
“Temperatures will take a tumble from midweek and while there is still a lot of uncertainty there is a chance of an easterly flow becoming established bringing very cold conditions.
“We do expect it to turn colder but there is uncertainty around how cold and this is due to the sudden stratospheric warming pattern.”
Fluctuating temperatures next week will lead to foggy mornings which could cause travel disruption, he warned.
Mr Snell added: “Monday is looking mild again as we will still be in a milder air mass so we could see temperatures of around 50F or 51.8F.
“The main hazard over the next few days will be fog and this could cause some problems especially from Tuesday and beyond.”
The mercury will stay largely above freezing overnight before colder conditions bring lows of -3C (26.6F) next week.