Weekend to be 15C cooler as frost and snow return
SUMMER is about to be put on hold with chilly winds, frost and even the chance of snow this weekend.
The glorious May heatwave will become a distant memory as the balmy southerly breezes responsible for the hot weather are replaced by bitter winds sweeping down from the Arctic.
Temperatures will be around 15C lower than last weekend, which brought the hottest May spell for four years.
The good news is that it will be a temporary blip with warm weather expected to make a return during the second half of the month. In the meantime gardeners have been warned to make sure they protect frost-sensitive plants over the next few nights.
Daytime temperatures will languish around the 12C (54F) mark in the South and 6C in the North. They will fall to -2C in exposed regions overnight.
Met Office forecaster Emma Sharples said: “A cold front will move into the country from the north bringing cloud and temperatures a fair bit lower.
“The weekend is looking fairly settled but it is going to feel cold as Arctic maritime air moves in and we could see air and grass frosts even further south in exposed areas. The odd wintry shower over high ground in the North is not out of the question and compared with the hot weather we have seen it will feel much cooler.”
Leon Brown, forecaster for The Weather Company, said: “A cold front will move southwards on Friday.
“The weekend will feel quite cool everywhere and there will even be a dusting of snow again over the tops of the Scottish Highlands.”
Exacta Weather’s James Madden said: “Despite a fresher and cooler blip this weekend we will see a quick return to warmer weather in or around the mid-month period.”