UK weather forecast: temperatures could plunge to -8C as freezing air sweeps in from the east

Expect frost and a chill wind, forecasters say

Britons can expect a cold snap late this week when temperatures fall through the 0C barrier, dropping as low as -8C in some isolated spots.

More widely, cities and towns will endure -1C to -3C conditions on Thursday night, forecasters said, as chill winds sweep in from the east.

Greg Dewhurst, from the Met Office, told The Independent: “[We will] see the winds generally coming in from the east or southeast direction, that’s due to an area of high pressure over Scandinavia. It will help it feel colder.

“The next few days will be largely dry, but there will be some rain at times across the far west and there could be one or two wintry showers down the east coasts of England and Scotland.

“We will see some overnight frosts [and] could see temperatures down to about -6C or -7C in the countryside tomorrow night [Thursday].

“More widespread, it will be more like -1C to -3C. Isolated spots in the countryside [could go] down to -5C, -7C, possibly -8C.”

But those hoping for a crisp, bright weekend morning stroll may be disappointed as the weather is set to turn wetter due to a low pressure system moving in later from the west.

Mr Dewhurst said: “It’s all change into the weekend. We see low pressure moving in from the Atlantic – milder, wetter and windier.

“We could see a risk of heavy rain, strong winds and maybe snow for a time across the northern part of the UK, across the hills.”

Earlier this week, meteorologists warned that parts of the country could see severe gales up to 50mph.

No weather warnings are currently in place, however.

The heaviest weather will likely clear on Sunday, Mr Dewhurst said, but it would still be “blustery”.