UK to plunge back into winter as temperatures drop dramatically

Winter is set to return as weather forecasters have predicted wet, cold and miserable weather for the next week and into May.

Forecasters say an Arctic airmass, or a polar maritime mass, will blast over from Iceland bringing freezing overnight temperatures.

Britain will be colder than Moscow next week, with the Russian capital expecting highs of 22C.

Met Office spokeswoman Laura Young told the Daily Mail: "It is going to be increasingly unsettled and colder across the nation over the coming week."

Meanwhile, the Daily Mirror reports that icy winds from the North Pole will make Britain feel close to -10C in the North next week.

The RAC has warned Britons to "dig out the de-icer and scraper".

Leon Brown, Chief forecaster at The Weather Channel, tells AOL Travel: "So far this April temperatures and sunshine hours have been above average and rainfall is well below normal at only 20 to 30%. This will be offset to some degree though in the final week of April with wetter weather and colder weather.

"It looks like the next seven days will see around normal precipitation across northern Britain and perhaps a little above over parts of the south, so the month will be nowhere near as dry as 2011 when only 21% of normal precipitation fell, and 2007 when some areas of southern and eastern England had no measurable rainfall.

"Temperatures will be brought down to nearer normal after the cold spell next week, but sunshine hours will be above normal with some areas 130 to 150% of normal. So April 2015 has been a sunny month and the driest since 2011."

For this weekend, Leon says: "There will be a risk of some heavy showers over the South East on Sunday before the front passes over, and there will be quite a few wintry showers across the north with snow down to the 300m/1000ft level in Scotland, and even down to the surface inland by Monday.

"A big temperature contrast from Saturday to Sunday with temperatures reaching the high teens on Saturday and only the far South East managing to reach the teens on Sunday with the rest of the UK struggling to get to double figures. Some areas in the Midlands will only manage 7C and Northern Scotland only 4 to 5C.

Mr Brown says next week is looking cool with night frosts in the North and ground frosts in the South.

"Sunshine and showers with snow are expected over northern hills, but some uncertainty for next Wednesday to Thursday with the threat of more general rain crossing the South.

"The cool theme continues to early May with wetter weather over the south and drier in the North with sunshine and some wintry showers."