Summer ends and winter arrives - in spring

The Scottish Highlands/Pa

Snow has started to fall in parts of the UK and there's plenty more on its way, just in time for a freezing Easter, say forecasters.

The 'heatwave' of the past weeks has evaporated, with severe weather warnings following the extreme change in temperature.

The Met Office has already issued two severe weather alerts, and there is a warning of possible travel disruptions due to the icy conditions.

Up to eight inches snow are due in some parts of the country today (Monday).

Northern England will experience rain increasingly turning to snow tonight (Monday), with 5cm expected on high ground.

The Midlands and Home Counties are forecast light snow on Tuesday and Wednesday.

London will also see sleet or snow - although Met Office forecaster Helen Waite says it is unlikely to settle.
Forecasters predict that by tomorrow (Tuesday) there will also be widespread frost.

After days of beautiful spring weather across Britain, temperatures will drop to as low as -11C in Braemar, Cairngorms, where snow has already fallen. Just a week ago, this area experienced record March temperatures of 22C.

Across the rest of the UK, temperatures are already struggling to get into double figures, and these are set to drop further.

Scenes from last winter/PA

Julian Mayes, forecaster with MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said "We've seen the temperature drop already, and it will continue to get colder for two to three days."

Snow is forecast for the Easter holidays, and temperatures will plummet to 7C by Wednesday, dropping from a high of 23C this week.

Weather experts say the changeable weather is due to a shift in wind patterns and bitter Arctic winds from the North Pole will replace the warm continental air.

Summer weather last week/PA

"We are looking at a major drop in temperatures, with a blast of cold air coming from the North. A change in the high pressure will mean instead of air coming from the South. It will start to come in from Scandinavia," senior forecaster at British Weather Services Adrian Crocker told the Daily Express.

Dan Williams from the Met Office told The Metro: 'This will feel like a shock for some people after the taste of summer in recent days.'

Williams said that there was nothing odd about the wintery weather arriving and that it is statistically more likely to snow at Easter in Britain than at Christmas.

"It's actually a return to normal weather for the time of year after the recent warm spell," he said.

This week saw most of the UK sweltering in temperatures above 20C. On Thursday the warm weather reached a high of 23C in Southampton, matching a previous March 28 record set in 1965.

Looking to escape this Easter? Check out our pick of the best bargain breaks for spring below...

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