Temperatures fall as Arctic winds bring first winter snow

BRITAIN was last night bracing for snow as the Met Office warned that a blast of Arctic wind would send temperatures plummeting as low as -8C this week.

The northerly winds, which are more common in February and March, were set to bring icy blasts and snow flurries, with a yellow warning for snow in place for northern Scotland on Wednesday.

Sleet and snow could reach northern England and Northern Ireland, settling in upland areas, according to forecasters. Alex Burkill, of the Met Office, said: “At the moment we have an easterly flow and as such our winds are coming from the east and that is a cold direction and it is cold out.

“However, from tomorrow onwards we are going to get a northerly flow, so our winds coming from the north, that is Arctic air leading to our temperatures dropping even further as we go through this week.

“We have a snow warning across the northern half of Scotland for Wednesday and that is when the snow showers coming from the north will be most impactful, they will probably start tomorrow and we will see very significant snow in the north.”

Despite the icy temperatures, Mr

Burkill said there would be clear blue skies throughout the cold snap but chilly at night.

The plunging temperatures come as average energy bills are set to hit £2,500.

The cold spell follows the third warmest November on record in the UK. Overall, Britain remains set for yet another warmest year on record.

Despite the warnings of freezing

‘Arctic air is coming from the north leading to temperatures dropping as we go through the week’

temperatures it appears temperatures will return to normal by Christmas.

“There are signs that we should start to see something a bit more unsettled coming up from the south, as we go through the week before the week leading up to Christmas,” said Mr Burkhill.

“As a result, as we head towards Christmas Day itself … at the moment, it’s more likely that temperatures will probably return to normal for the time of year.”

That won’t mean a warm Christmas, he said, but it would be well above the biting temperatures to come this week.