UK weather: Cold snap bites with snow threat over Easter weekend as millions plan to meet outdoors

In an abrupt end to the Spring heatwave, parts of Britain could see snow on Easter Monday

Cold weather has quashed plans for an outdoor Easter lunch this Bank Holiday weekend (PA)

The cold snap is set to continue over the weekend, dashing hopes of an al-fresco Easter get-together just as millions enjoy eased Covid restrictions on outdoor meetings.

Falling temperatures and the threat of wintry showers have forced a change to many plans, andthe public is being urged to respect the coronavirus rules that still prohibit meeting family and friends indoors.

Despite a short-lived heatwave earlier in the week, with some parts of England reaching 24C, snow is expected in some areas on Easter Monday including northern Scotland where warnings are in place for heavy snow.

By Mondaythere could be as much as 15cm of snow in northern parts of the UK while Fife, Strathclyde and the Highlands are due to see gale-force winds and snow showers from an ‘Arctic trough’.

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Yellow warnings issued by the Met Office are in place from 6pm Sunday until midnight on Monday. 

Flood alerts have also been issued by the Environment Agency for Nailbourne and Little Stour in Kent and for the River Nar in Norfolk. 

Craig Snell, forecaster for the Met Office, said: “After a taste of summer for a lot of the UK, we will see things turn much colder as we go through the second half of the Easter weekend.

“A lot of the UK will be prone to seeing some wintry showers as we go through the course of Monday but northern Scotland is where we’ll see the heaviest and most frequent snow.

“That’s where there’s most concern that we might see some disruption.”

On Saturday, temperatures in the South East and London are expected to be about 12C and, further north - Manchester and Leeds - could see highs of 13C and 10C respectively.

By Monday, London may drop to 8C, Manchester 7C and Leeds a chilly 5C.

Though “nowhere is going to be immune” from potential bouts of snow on Monday, it is unlikely that it will settle, Mr Snell said.

Additional reporting by Press Association