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April shivers to continue until next weekend April shivers to continue until next weekend
(about 7 hours later)
Britons will be reaching for their winter coats for a bit longer after the coldest March in more than 50 years and a miserable period for farmers who have lost thousands of sheep to recent snow. The sun made an all too rare appearance in some parts of the country over the weekend but forecasters have warned Britons not to put away those winter coats yet.
While temperatures across the southern UK were scraping close to the 10C (32F) mark on Sunday and might even rise to 12 or 13C later in the week, single-figure temperatures will remain longer further north. In Scotland there may be also some sleet and hill snow, says the Met Office. The full arrival of spring will continue to take its time after the coldest March in more than 50 years.
Many places in the rest of Britain will still experience temperatures around freezing, even below in some areas, while there will probably be rain in south-west Britain early in the week and some more unsettled windy weather generally. While temperatures across the southern UK just scraped over the 10C (32F) mark on Sunday and might even rise to 12C or 13C later in the week, single-figure temperatures will remain common further north. In Scotland there may be also some sleet and hill snow, according to the Met Office. Some ski resorts are reportedly looking to extend the season.
For those longing for hosts of daffodils – the Lake District for instance is comparatively bereft – there are warnings too that some areas will experience temperatures around freezing or below again this week. There will probably be rain spreading from the south-west and more unsettled windy weather generally later on.
It will be drier and brighter by next weekend, but still a couple of degrees below normal for the time of year.It will be drier and brighter by next weekend, but still a couple of degrees below normal for the time of year.
The Weather Channel agrees it may not feel very spring-like again for much of next week as the weather pattern begins "a slow transition from the colder blocking pattern to a more typical south-westerly flow from the Atlantic", but predicted that "everything should start to bloom from next weekend with much warmer weather and south-west winds on the way". The Weather Channel's meteorologist Leon Brown reported it may not feel spring-like for much of the week as the weather pattern begins "a slow transition from the colder blocking pattern to a more typical south-westerly flow from the Atlantic". But he predicted "everything should start to bloom from next weekend with much warmer weather and south-west winds on the way. We could see temperatures reach 18C by next Sunday in the south, and then 20C in the south-east early the following week. We may suddenly feel like summer has arrived rather than waiting for spring."
It added: "We could see temperatures reach 18C by next Sunday in the south, and then 20C in the south-east early the following week. We may suddenly feel like summer has arrived rather than waiting for spring!" Bone-chilling temperatures in March made it the UK's joint second coldest since records began more than 100 years ago, the Met Office confirmed last week.
The mean temperature was just 2.2C – more than 3C colder than the monthly average for March. The delayed spring has been a miserable period for farmers especially those who have either lost thousands of sheep to blizzards or fear the weather could hit wheat supplies.
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