Get ready for an Arctic blast! Snow on the way and temps to drop 10C

PA

Don't be fooled by the recent unseasonably warm temperatures of up to 20C in the day and 10C at night - it's all set to change when an Arctic blast will freeze most of the country this weekend.

Most of the UK will experience frosts, with temps of 4C in the north and up to 10C in the south, falling to -2C in some places at night, while Scotland and northern England have been told to prepare for snow.

The good news? Some children will be able to go sledging during the half-term. Plus, the fog that has plagued airports and seen hundreds of flights cancelled will be cleared.

Spokesman for the Met Office, Charlie Powell, told Aol Travel that this will be the first cold snap of the season: "By Friday, cold air will have spread across most of the UK bringing more in the way of sunshine but daytime highs of around 9C or 10C. Saturday may be a little colder than this with maximum temperatures of 7C to 9C.

"On Friday and Saturday there will be a few wintry showers, for northern Scotland and the northern Isles, with some small amounts of snow.

"Sleet or hail showers may reach as far south as the north York moors. Further south and west it's likely to be dry and largely sunny but it will feel colder.

"Overnight temperatures will be between -2C and +2C so we will see some frosts, mainly on Friday and Saturday night, especially in the countryside and across northern parts of the UK.

"The coldest parts of the country are likely to be Scottish Glens and parts of northern and western Britain."

Fog and misty conditions have been causing chaos for flights at London airports. Eighteen flights were cancelled at London City Airport today, bringing the total number of journeys cancelled in the south east to 300 since Monday, according to the Daily Mail.

Hundreds of flights were cancelled at Heathrow yesterday (Tuesday), with some passengers waiting 32 hours for their flights, and many sleeping overnight in the airport as nearby hotels were overflowing.

Passengers are being advised to check with their airlines for updates, although a Heathrow spokesman said flights were now running as usual.

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