London temperatures will feel ‘close to freezing’ today after winter chill follows sunny Easter Sunday
London temperatures today will feel close to freezing, with the mercury expected to be up to 11C lower than during the sunshine of the Easter weekend as cold northern winds move over the country.
Parts of the UK are expected to fall to as low as -7C (19.4F) overnight as forecasters warn the country faces a “bitterly cold” day, with people waking up to snow in parts of Scotland and northern England.
On Monday morning, sleet was seen as far south as Milton Keynes.
It comes after the Met Office said it won’t get above 7C in the capital today and down to -1 overnight with heavy frosts developing.
The wind-chill factor, with icy gusts coming from the Arctic will make it feel much colder than the 7C reading.
Met Office forecaster Simon Partridge said: “There’ll be a drop of 11 degrees between one day and the next, so you will definitely notice it!”
“Overnight we’ll see a cold front moving southward across the country, it’s already across northern Scotland, and it’ll push its way southward overnight.
“That will introduce much, much colder air across the whole country.”
Snow warnings are in place for northern Scotland, with as much as 15cm falling in higher areas.
Other areas will see snowfall of 1 to 2cm.
The Met Office has said that while snow showers will largely be seen in the North and North West, they could occur nearly anywhere in the UK early in the week.
Met Office yellow warnings are in place until 10am on Tuesday for Scotland, with winds of up to 70mph forecast.
The east and west coasts of the country are likely to see a “wintry mix” of showers, which may include some hail.
Areas away from the coast are expected to be dry and bright on Monday, but with strong winds and below average temperatures, largely in the mid-single figures.
The wind will play a key factor in Monday’s weather, as while southern England may see highs of up to 7C, gusts up to 30mph may make the temperature feel closer to freezing.