North set for a wet, cold spell while South will bask in sunny 20C

A COLD snap at the start of the weekend will give way to warmer and wetter weather in the leadup to Easter, meteorologists have said.

The Met Office said that while last night was cold, most areas would remain above freezing except sheltered locations in northern England and Scotland that may have seen dips down to minus 1C or minus 2C.

Today will start off cold with a risk of frost. But following the cold snap, the weather will split along north and south lines, the Met Office said.

The northern half of Britain will see strong winds and heavy rain, particularly in parts of western Scotland where a yellow warning for rain is in force for 48 hours from 6pm tomorrow.

People in these regions can expect to see of rainfall with the potential for heavy downfalls over the highest ground.

Meanwhile, in sheltered central and southern parts of the UK the weather will be calmer, with temperatures climbing to highs in the low 20Cs, the Met Office predicted.

Its chief meteorologist Andy Page said: “From Saturday we are going to see a change in weather across the UK, with the northern and southern parts of Britain experiencing quite marked differences.

“The northern half of Britain will see strong winds and heavy rain, especially in parts of Western Scotland where a yellow warning for rain will be in force for 48 hours from 6pm on Sunday evening.

“However, in sheltered central and southern parts of the UK, weather conditions will be much calmer, with temperatures climbing in the March sunshine to highs into the low 20s.”