Britain braced for Arctic blast as mercury plunges to -5C

A BLAST of Arctic air will see the mercury drop and snow fall this week, bringing an end to a mild start to the year for much of the UK.

Freezing conditions and overnight frosts will hit from tomorrow and temperatures could plunge to as low as -5C in rural Scotland.

Average daytime temperatures in the south of England will struggle to rise above 6C, the Met Office has warned.

Rain showers could also turn to snow by Friday in western parts of the UK.

Meteorologist Bonnie Diamond said: “Other than the odd cold snap for some parts for the first half of January it has been relatively mild, but this week is a transition to colder weather for the entire country.

“It will be noticeable for all of us. We are going to really feel the switch to colder temperatures.”

She added: “Through Wednesday a polar maritime air mass is going to push in from the West but by the time we get to Thursday it will be an Arctic air mass.”

By the end of the month, Ms Diamond also predicts the UK could be hit with cold air from the East, but cautioned that did not mean the return of the so-called Beast from the East, which brought heavy snowfall last year.

She said: “Just because the wind is coming from the East does not necessarily mean we are going to see a repeat of last year.“