Britons should brace themselves for a colder week ahead, as temperatures plunge just hours after Britain saw its warmest day of the year.
The weekend brought with it unseasonably high temperatures, with highs of 19.1C and 19.7C recorded on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
The “widely warm” and “pleasant” weekend meant some parts of the UK were warmer than holiday hotspots such as the Balearic Islands and Costa del Sol.
Craig Snell, a meteorologist at the Met Office, said: “It’s been widely warm across the east and west, and it’s been pleasant in Scotland and Northern Ireland. It’s been fairly decent and Sunday was the warmest day of 2025 so far.”
Many Britons enjoyed temperatures that rival or exceed those in traditional sunshine hotspots abroad
MET OFFICEHowever, the mercury is set to drop by as low as 20C, with the weather office warning of a “noticeably colder” period beginning from today.
Weather maps from WXCharts show the temperature plummeting to -4C on Thursday in Scotland, whilst much of England and Wales will see freezing lows of -1C in the coming days.
Deputy Chief Meteorologist at the Met Office, Chris Bulmer, said: “A frontal zone will move south across the UK during Sunday night and Monday with much colder air following from the north.
“With these cold northeasterly winds, we are likely to see some wintry showers across the north and the east of the UK next week, but any accumulations of snow are likely to be largely restricted to hills. We’ll also see a return to overnight frosts in many areas.
WEATHER LATEST:
Weather maps from WXCharts show the temperature plummeting
WXCharts
“While there is uncertainty in the extent of rain and wintry showers through the middle of next week, there is higher confidence that below average temperatures will continue through the week, bringing a very different feel to the mild weather over the weekend.”
Temperatures will return to average for this time of the year, averaging between 6C and 9C.
The cold weather will be accompanied by a spell of rain and wintry showers across Northern England, the Met Office warned.
Meteorologist Greg Dewhurst added that “it’s all change now” as the cold front hits.
Temperatures will return to average for this time of the year, averaging between 6C and 9C
PA
“Slowly through Monday and into Tuesday, as the winds turn northerly,” he said, adding: “A cold front across far Scotland will be pushing down in the next 24 to 48 hours.”
Snell added that whilst it won't be a “washout”, the breeze from the northerly winds will keep temperatures low.
The mercury is expected to rise again moving into the weekend.
