Get your coat! Britain to be hit by five days of freezing temperatures
It's not the time to crack out the spring mac just yet as a five-day cold snap is set to hit Britain, according to weather experts.
Temperatures hovering around freezing point will feel more like -10 as bitter easterly winds of up to 50mph sweep through the country. And night time temperatures could dip to -6C.
It is even thought snow could hit in London and the south east on Friday.
Billy Payne, a forecaster for MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, told the Daily Mail: "Temperatures are expected to stay just above freezing point throughout the coming days, but with the wind chill factor it could feel more like -5C, or even -10C where the winds are strongest.
"They could hit around 50mph in Cornwall, while the rest of Britain will see gusts of around 30mph and higher in exposed areas.
"These temperatures are very cold for this time of year. We expect cold weather in February but it is impressively cold."
The Met Office has issued a level three cold weather alert between Wednesday and Sunday, which reads: "There is a 90% probability of severe cold weather/icy conditions between 9am on Wednesday and 7am on Sunday in parts of England. This weather could increase the health risks to vulnerable patients and disrupt the delivery of services."
The Met Office forecast says:"It will turn colder across all areas through the remainder of the week with cold conditions looking set to continue into the start of next week.
"Rather cloudy conditions are expected too with the best of any bright or clear spells across western parts. It will remain dry and settled for most through this period although there will be a few snow flurries at time, particularly for eastern areas.
"At this stage, disruptive accumulations of snow are not expected but some localised slight accumulations are possible.
"Brisk easterly winds will also exacerbate the cold feel, especially in southern areas where penetrating overnight frosts are likely.
"Untreated roads and pavements are likely to be icy over the next five days. No major disruption from snow is expected."
So why the big chill? The Met Office says high pressure has become established to the north east of the UK and this is dragging in colder air from Scandinavia.
It will take some time for the cold air to filter across the whole of the UK but, by Friday, much of the UK will struggle to see daytime temperatures above around 3 °C, the group reports.
Will Lang, Met Office Chief Forecaster, told Aol Travel: "Brisk winds across England and Wales will make it feel much colder. It will remain cloudy too and we could see snow showers across eastern parts of the country in particular.
"This is a different taste of winter to the snow and ice we have seen recently. These largely dry, settled and cold conditions may not be as disruptive to travel but they do present concerns surrounding the health and well being of the elderly and vulnerable."
The cold conditions are expected to continue until the end of February, however the Met Office's severe weather alert expires at 7am on Sunday.
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