So much for spring... Arctic blast to bring ice and snow

IF the mild weekend had you thinking of putting away your winter coat for another year, you may wish to think again.

After a tantalising taste of spring over the past few days, temperatures could fall as low as -4C (25F) over the next fortnight thanks to a blast of Arctic wind. There is even a possibility of heavy snowfall, forecasters predict.

The icy spell is being caused by the break-up of the polar vortex, a large area of cold air that normally hangs over the North Pole. But a change in the polar jet stream over the last few days has triggered a phenomenon known as Sudden Stratospheric Warming (SSW).

This causes cold winds to be pushed south over northern Europe and the US.

The change in the polar vortex occurred last week, but its effects will start to be felt by the middle of this week. The weather will turn increasingly cold on Wednesday and Thursday, with overnight frost.

And forecasters say temperatures could slip even further by the start of March.

Charles Powell, from the Met Office, said: ‘Over the next few days it will feel chillier.

‘On the south coast it will feel colder and the nights will be frosty, possibly down to -3 (27F) or -4C (25F).’