Easter holidays will be colder than Christmas

Met office says max 15C Road, rail and air chaos

WRAP up warm... Easter Sunday is set to be colder than Christmas Day in some parts of the country.

Temperatures will struggle to reach the mid teens over the weekend and will be lower than the 15.1C (59F) recorded in Aberdeenshire on December 25.

The Met Office said UK highs would be a chilly 12 to 15C – a contrast to the maximum 25.4C enjoyed last weekend.

It is forecast to be warmer in the South than the North, where sunny spells are predicted – although scattered showers are also expected.

A Met Office spokesman said: “Last weekend, there was unbroken sunshine and temperatures were well above average for the time of year. But this weekend, it will feel cooler for Easter with temperatures reaching around 12 to 15C by day.

“In any prolonged sunny spells, it will still feel pleasant. With a cool polar maritime air mass affecting the UK, it will also turn chilly overnight.”

A dramatic sunrise over the daffodil fields of Kinneff, Aberdeenshire, yesterday, seemed to bode well for the long Easter weekend there.

The bank holiday traffic chaos started early yesterday, with a 17-mile jam on Britain’s busiest motorway.

Motorists were left queuing for almost two hours after a car overturned on the M25 in Surrey. Another section of the M25 had to be closed in the morning after a four-vehicle crash.

This weekend, 31 million motorists are expected to hit the roads, with Saturday predicted to be the busiest day to travel by car.

Neil Worth, of GEM Motoring Assist, said: “We’re expecting long queues at all the usual motorway and main-road locations, including the approaches to the Dartford River Crossing, the M5 south from Bristol, the M55 approaching Blackpool and the A11 towards the Norfolk coast. To minimise the risk of sitting in stationary traffic for hours, we recommend travelling outside peak times.

“For any day trips, get going early. More big queues are likely from lunchtime on Easter Monday as families return from their breaks.”

Over Easter, 60,000 breakdowns are expected, with five occurring every 30 seconds, according to Green Flag.

Holidaymakers hoping to get away will also face delays and long queues at airports.

Heathrow is expecting 868,000 passengers to travel over the weekend – 200,000 more families than usual.

Network Rail has warned engineering works will cause disruption for passengers over the Easter period.

With a polar air mass affecting the UK, it will turn chilly overnight MET OFFICE SPOKESMAN LONG WEEKEND FORECAST