The end of summer... as snow starts to blow in

RIGHT on cue, the curtain comes down on British Summer Time tonight with a blanket of snow over the mountains.

After the driest and sunniest autumn in years, temperatures are expected to plummet as the weather turns more wintry next week.

Met office spokesman Nicky Maxey said: ‘It’s not all doom and gloom as we mark the end of BST.

‘There could be some sunny weather for Scotland, particularly on Tuesday.

‘But the arrival of a low pressure system off the West of Scotland means we are now moving into conditions with a more wintry feel to them.’

Rain for most places today will be followed by plunging temperatures cold enough to bring snow to hills above 2,000ft (600m).

Tomorrow will start dry but rain moving in mid-morning will cross the country from

‘It’s going to be much more unsettled’

west to east throughout the afternoon. That showery weather or episodes of prolonged rain will continue into Monday, setting the pattern for the rest of the week.

The wind will pick up, too, because of a weakening of the high pressure over Scandinavia which has been acting as a major buffer zone against usually unsettled autumnal weather.

The upside to windier weather is a noticeable rise in temperatures, which could return to the mid-teens by the middle of the week.

Miss Maxey said: ‘ Scotland has seen some lovely, settled weather for much of September and october.

‘Weekend temperatures in Aberdeen could see that warm spell continue, with highs of 13c to 14c (55-57f).

‘But I’m afraid we’re now in a transitional period and things will turn much more unsettled next week.

She added: ‘Still, we do get an extra hour in bed when the clocks go back one hour at 2am on Sunday.’