Hail, gales and snow – welcome to spring!

IT’S meant to be all sunshine, blue skies and maybe the occasional April shower.

But spring is giving us a last flash of winter – with snow and hail expected across the country in the next few days driven by Arctic gales.

Temperatures could drop to as low as minus 6c (21f) in some rural areas next week, with widespread frost expected throughout the country, the Met Office has warned.

An Arctic blast is expected to travel across the UK on Monday and Tuesday, bringing with it wintry showers – and even a chance of snow settling in the north.

Today will begin with a cloudy and dry start with a few spots of rain in the south of England and highs of 15c (59f). But temperatures will start to plummet as the evening draws in and could even drop to below freezing in parts of northern England overnight.

Tomorrow is expected to be a dry day with sunny spells with highs of 15c in the south and 12c (54f) in the north.

The real shift in weather conditions will start on Monday, according to Met Office forecaster Emma Sillitoe, who said there will be rain and wintry showers pushing down from the north of the country.

‘The wintry showers will begin in hilly areas but by Monday evening they will fall to lower levels,’ she said. ‘Then on Tuesday there will be widespread showers and we could get hail and snow in some parts.

‘Wednesday will be similar but the showers will be more isolated, before a dryer Thursday.’

The cold spell will come as a surprise to many, just a fortnight after the country basked in high temperatures of 25.5c on April 9, the hottest day of the year so far.

The mini-heatwave brought about a premature start to the birch pollen season that could now be tempered by the drop in temperatures.

Conditions are expected to improve by May Day Bank Holiday, however, with dry and bright weather forecast for the start of next month.