UK Weather: Exact date when cold temperatures will end to give way to a heatwave in April

Met Office meteorologist Annie Shuttleworth said the warm temperatures of recent days have been something of a “false start” to the new season

The frigid conditions that caused Brits to haul out winter wools again this week will soon pave the way for “above average” temperatures in April.

Parts of the country woke up to snow Thursday, beating cautious forecasts of a small amount of flakes for those in the east of the country where several inches had settled.

The frosty turn, fueled by a gust of air from the Arctic, comes a week after early spring and a string of unseasonably warm temperatures, blue skies and sunshine.

While temperatures may not quite return to the 20C that graced parts of the UK just days ago, forecasters say temperatures will soon be back in double digits.

Speaking to The Mirror, Met Office meteorologist Annie Shuttleworth said the warm temperatures of recent days are something of a “false start” to the new season.

“The temperatures we saw last week were well above the average temperature for late March across the UK,” she said.

“It may have felt like summer to some, but in fact it’s still early spring when the average temperature in the UK is around 11 or 12ºC.”

Cold arctic air has brought colder temperatures that would persist over the weekend, Ms Shuttleworth said.

Overnight temperatures on Thursday were expected to settle just a few degrees above zero in most areas, with 2C (35.6F) forecast for London and Edinburgh.

Devon and Cornwall are expected to experience the warmest temperatures of 6C, with the coolest temperatures of 1C forecast for Aberdeenshire and North Yorkshire.

This follows last week’s sunshine when the mercury hit 20C in some spots.

Temperatures are expected to remain in the single digits over the weekend.

Mercury is expected to hit highs of 7C and 8C across the UK on Friday and Saturday, rising to 9C and 10C on Sunday.

Sunny spells with some clouds are forecast for the rest of England, Scotland and Wales, with a mostly cloudy day around Sunday.

Meteorologist Matty Box said there was a “cold air mass” over the UK.

“Right now there is an ice warning,” he said. “If it melts overnight and freezes again, there is a risk of ice.

“I suspect there will be a similar risk from Thursday night through Friday morning.”

Referring to Friday’s weather, he added: “It will be concentrated and there will be snow showers.

“It will be the eastern and northern areas of the UK that are more likely to see rain, sleet or snow showers.”

The weather will improve over the weekend with some sunny spells.

“Showers are becoming less frequent, but there is still a possibility of some wintry showers on the east coast and particularly the North Sea coast through Saturday,” Box said.

“There should also be a fair amount of sunshine.”

In Canterbury, Kent, Snow saw a county cricket warm-up match between Lancashire and Kent suspended and canceled on Thursday.

A shift in winds to a more westerly direction next week would bring temperatures back into double digits for many – although many would also see a healthy downpour.

And Ms Shuttleworth said it looks like we’ll see temperatures at or above average throughout April.

However, spring has often been a changeable month in terms of temperature, Ms Shuttleworth noted, “as our seas are still cold after winter but the sun is getting stronger and the days longer”.

“Temperatures can vary greatly depending on wind direction,” she said.