Temperatures to plummet overnight as Arctic air crosses UK

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for ice in eastern areas on Saturday morning.

01 April 2022

Temperatures are set to plummet to -3C in many parts of the UK on Friday night, the Met Office has warned.

The national forecaster has issued a yellow weather warning for ice which could cause “some injuries from slips and falls” and “possible travel disruption” in eastern areas on Saturday morning.

Covering the eastern half of the country including the Scottish Borders, Northumberland, Durham, North Yorkshire, East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, the warning lasts from midnight until 10am on Saturday.

The coldest overnight temperature of -3C is predicted in Birmingham and Southampton, with -2C predicted in London and -1C and 0C across the rest of the nation.

Meanwhile, some rural and hilly areas could see the mercury dip even further.

Met Office meteorologist Dan Stroud said overnight temperatures will plummet to 7C below the average for the time of year in London, as Arctic air crosses the UK.

He said: “Last night we got down to -8C in Scotland, and we’re probably looking at temperatures in the same neck of the woods, in the Highlands, of around -6C or -7C – but we’re talking rural locations.

“For most people it’s going to be around -1C.

“In London we’re expecting -2C.

“The overnight for London in April should be around 5C, so it’s certainly colder than what it should be for this time of year.”

Describing the weekend weather, Mr Stroud added: “It’s generally dry and cold, if not slightly less cold than we have had for the next few days.

“We’ve got an Arctic air flow established at the moment, that’s coming from a cold source.

“So we’ve basically got cold, clear air established across the UK.

“There’s also a lot of clear and sunny skies, especially to the western parts of the UK.”

Mr Stroud said temperatures should climb from around 10C averages over the weekend to around 14C on Monday as the Arctic air system moves away.