Parts of the UK could see snow this week as ‘unseasonably cold’ conditions hit.
Temperatures are set to drop over the next few days, with patchy rural frost developing by Thursday night, forecasters have said.
Overnight temperatures will tumble and Friday is likely to be the coldest morning, the Met Office predicts.
Cold Arctic air is arriving over the next few days leading to below average temperatures and a chance of snow on the highest peaks in Scotland.
Met Office spokesman Johnathan Vautrey said temperatures for most of the week will be 4-6C below average.
“Many of us will see temperatures in the mid-teens – around 13-14C – whereas normally at this time of year it would be at least 16-18C, if not closer towards 19-20C in the far south east, places like London,” Mr Vautrey said.
But temperatures will feel even colder and “more like single figures” for a lot of places due to strong winds.
The forecaster said Thursday into Friday is likely to be the coldest night of the week, as temperatures in rural areas could drop below freezing.
“We could see some patchy frost developing in rural areas across all nations of the UK, particularly Scotland,” Mr Vautrey said.
“For people waking up on Friday morning it could be quite a shock to the system as they’re walking out of the door.
“There is a small chance of some snow falling over the highest mountains of Scotland, but you’ll have to hike quite a way before you see any snow.”
The Met Office said the cold spell is not expected to last too long and temperatures will start to climb back up towards average by the weekend.
A warning of strong winds was issued for the north of Scotland on Tuesday, lasting for most of the day up to 6pm.
The warning adds: “A deepening low will move slowly east across the northern North Sea during Tuesday, bringing a swathe of strong northwesterly winds to the Northeast of Scotland. Gusts of between 45 and 50 mph are expected widely with isolated gusts as high as 60 mph at times, especially along coasts and over hills of mainland Scotland, and to 65 mph at times across Orkney.
“This is likely to lead to some disruption and longer journey times. Winds will slowly ease later this afternoon.”
