Get out your shorts! As Britain shivers forecasters say temperatures will soar to 17C later in the week
As chilly Arctic winds set the mercury plunging and snow settled on the ground across the country, it felt for many like the freezing weather was back with a vengeance over the weekend.
But nothing is that predictable with the English weather. Temperatures are set to rise as high as 17c (63f) this week, ten degrees warmer than the average for this time of year, as gusts from the south blow away the cold snap.
The milder conditions will be welcome after a white weekend in parts of Herefordshire, Shropshire, Worcestershire, Cheshire, Lancashire, Cumbria, the Pennines and North Wales.
Blooming wonderful: Erin Maton enjoys the springlike conditions in Leicestershire which saw flowers bloom
Drenched: The weather in the north-west of England didn’t put off dog walkers in the Lake District
Forecasters said that winds ‘direct from the Arctic’ had delivered the most severe windchill of the winter. Drivers battled icy roads and there was widespread frost.
But the chill is set to lift this week. Tom Tobler, MeteoGroup forecaster, said: ‘It turns much milder from Monday for the whole of the UK, due to south-westerly winds from around the Azores.
‘Tuesday will be milder still, with very mild air on Wednesday and, by Thursday, much of England seeing 13c (55f) to 16c (61f) temperatures, with 17c (63f) possible. Scotland’s east could see 13C or 14C, with 11C to 12C elsewhere.’
He added: ‘The South and East will see the best of dry, sunny spells, mixed in with cloudy periods and patchy rain, heavy at times.’
The freezing conditions had been predicted by the Met Office, which issued a severe weather warning. But last night a spokesman said some areas could soon see temperatures far above average.
‘For the duration of the week there will be progressively milder weather. And we could even see some very warm weather in parts.’
