How Easter Bunny risks hypothermia!
On a Scottish shore, the starfish graveyard
IT should be the height of spring, sparking images of daffodils and egg-rolling.
But children looking for the Easter Bunny could find something even more surprising this weekend – snow.
Met Office forecasters last night warned of wintry weather over the coming days, including rain, hail, thunder and gales.
Early predictions this Easter could be the warmest on record – thanks to it being relatively late – are set to be shattered.
‘It’s certainly not bikini weather’, admitted Nicky Maxey of the Met Office. ‘People shouldn’t let it stop them getting out and enjoying themselves this weekend – but it certainly isn’t wall-to-wall sunshine.’
Many parts of the UK enjoyed clear skies and high temperatures last weekend, when the mercury hit 25.5C (78F)) in Cambridge.
But Scots will shiver in single figures this coming Sunday and Monday, with Glasgow struggling to reach 11C (52F).
Snow on Easter Sunday will be confined to higher ground in the Central Belt and parts of the Highlands; but all areas will suffer the wrath of two weather fronts coming in from the North.
In northern Scotland, this will bring some rain – heavy at times – and frequent scattered showers. Saturday should offer the best day of the weekend, with bright sunny spells promised and only occasional showers.
But in the North and NorthEast, the wind will pick up, with gale force gusts predicted.
Mrs Maxey said: ‘When the cloud comes over and you suffer a shower or two, it’s going to feel pretty chilly. Friday will feel cold too, with the risk of heavy showers in the North of Scotland. We’re expecting thunder on Shetland, along with some hail.
‘But it’s not all doom and gloom. You just have to dress for the conditions. As we’re further on in the year this Easter, there’s still the chance of suffering sunburn during the sunny spells that you might get.’
A further development over the weekend will be the arrival of a polar maritime airmass – originating from Greenland and the Arctic Ocean – that will see night-time temperatures dip below zero.
Temperatures are expected to plunge to -1C (30F) on Saturday night and -2C (28.4F) on Sunday night.
The highest temperature recorded over previous Easter weekends was 27.8C (82F) at Heathrow, London (1949), Mildenhall, Suffolk (1949) and Wisley, Surrey (2011).