BRITS basked in glorious 19C sunshine today on the hottest day in five months – but an icy Arctic blast is now set to hit the UK.
After a warm week, Brits will need to brace for colder weather conditions over the next few days.
Read our UK weather live blog for the very latest news and forecasts...
The mercury soared to 19C in the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh today, making it the hottest day in Britain since October 8 last year.
It was also the highest temperature in Scotland since September 21, the Met Office said.
But chilly temperatures in south east England barely hit 10C.
And the Met Office has warned a 2,000-mile wide “Arctic dome” of cold air could bring snow and ice at the end of the week.
Forecasters said the freezing temperatures will blast most of the south of England, including London, Kent, Southampton and Bath, at the weekend.
Cold air will sweep in from the Arctic region, with the mercury dropping to a low of 2C in Kent, and it will be cloudy across most of the UK.
The low temperatures are set to stay until Easter with frost and snow expected to cover parts of the country.
The latest WXCHARTS models show blue and white swirls of cold air moving towards Britain from Scandinavia, the Express reports.
The mercury will plummet in Scotland, Northumberland, Cumbria, Liverpool and Manchester, which could mean snow on Friday, according to Netweather.
It predicted a 30 to 85 percent chance of the white stuff.
The chilly temperatures are also set to stay for the south of England next week, with the mercury set to barely reach 5C in some places.
Weather Outlook forecaster Brian Gaze said: “It will feel more like winter than spring, with polar air expected in coming weeks.”
And the freezing cold is set to stay until the beginning of next month, with temperatures plunging as low as -4C in central Scotland and -2C in Cumbria on April 1, weather maps show.
Towards the end of March, a period of unsettled weather with spells of rain and some strong winds crossing all parts of the UK is expected.
Temperatures will be at or slightly below average for this time of year by the end of the month, according to the Met Office.
A Met Office spokesperson said: “Going into April, settled conditions are likely to continue in southern and eastern areas, where a good deal of dry and bright weather will occur.”
The temperature spike will come as a boost to millions of Brits as it marks the first time in months friends can meet in public with rule of six replacing rules banning more than two people from different houses meeting.
It come after a warm week for much of the UK.
In Pershore, Worcestershire, the mercury hit 17.9C on Tuesday – well above the 10C March average.
The mercury soared to 17.3C in Cardiff making it the warmest day of the year so far in Wales.
And people in Edinburgh enjoyed highs of 15.4C – the hottest day of 2021 in Scotland and warmer than Barcelona where it was 15C.
