2 Apr 2012

#uksnow set to make a return

After the summer-like warmth of last week, this week will take us back into the grip of winter. A plunge of Arctic air will sink southwards during the next 36 hours, bringing some parts of the UK snowfall.

Scotland will see the most notable snowfall later on Monday and into Tuesday, with 5-10cm or more falling over the hills and mountains above 200 metres. Low lying areas could see 2-5cm, with the Central Lowlands at risk of a covering as well.

This blast of winter comes just a week after Scotland recorded a new maximum temperature for March, with Aboyne in Aberdeenshire reaching 23.6C last Tuesday. This Tuesday, Aboyne will struggle to reach 3C – some 20 degrees colder.

A lot of you have been asking me on Twitter if it’s unusual to get snow in April. In a nutshell, no it’s not. Only as recently as April 2008, snow fell and settled across much of the UK – even along the south coast of England!

In fact, statistically, snow is more common in the UK at Easter than it is at Christmas.

The thing that has to be remembered about spring is that it’s a transitional season where the weather gets from winter to summer with a few battles along the way.

Last week the warmth and sunshine had their glory, but this week winter is deciding to show that it’s still in town.

It’s not just Scotland that could see some snow. As the weather front moves southwards across the UK during Tuesday and into Wednesday, other areas could see some wintriness.

Northern England will see rain turn to snow during Tuesday – mainly across the hills and mountains where there could be around 5cm. However, there is a chance that snow could fall at lower levels, but it will probably struggle to settle.

As the band of rain continues to move over the rest of England and Wales on Tuesday night, it will turn to snow across some higher hills, but for most it will be a mixture of rain and sleet accompanied by a cold wind.

It’s not just snow that will be a concern during the next few days, there’s also a significant risk of frost and ice as temperatures at night widely fall to freezing or below.

The burst of winter, however, will only be short lived as it’ll turn milder again by the end of the week with temperatures returning to an average 10-14C.

Don’t forget you can follow me on Twitter for regular weather chat – @liamdutton

You can also send me your weather pictures via the Channel 4 Weather website. Just click on the link on the right hand side of the main page and follow the instructions.

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