The national weather agency’s forecast today indicated that overnight temperatures on Tuesday could drop as low as -5C across northern regions and -1C in southern parts. Wednesday night could see lows of -3C nationwide.
The Met Office anticipates daytime temperatures will reach 18C on Tuesday before falling to 15C on Wednesday – a stark contrast to the scorching sunshine experienced in recent days.
Temperature anomaly maps for Tuesday reveal vast swathes of blue covering Scotland, Northern Ireland, North Wales, northern England and eastern regions. This highlights where temperatures will sit considerably lower than typical for this time of year.
The GFS weather model indicates the highest temperature across the entire country could reach just 8C on Wednesday morning. This marks a substantial decline from this week’s conditions throughout every corner of the UK.
The Met Office forecast for Tuesday to Thursday warns of “turning cooler for all as northerly winds set in across the UK”. We can anticipate “some showers at times”, though “these [will be] lighter and fewer than the weekend”.
The BBC forecast states: “On Tuesday, much of the UK will be dry with variable cloud, but there will be showers in the south-west and parts of the north.
“Wednesday is expected to be generally cloudy with a few scattered showers in the far north and across the west. Thursday looks to bring further showers to northern and western areas, while the east remain mostly dry with some sunny spells. Windier.”
Fortunately, the Met Office anticipates temperatures will climb back towards typical levels later this month. Its outlook for May 7 to May 16 suggests “a changeable theme” is probable, with most locations experiencing “some rain or showers at times, but also some drier, brighter weather”.
The forecast continues: “The emphasis on wetter conditions may be more towards the south and east at first, with low pressure perhaps more likely towards the south or east of the UK, before shifting further north later in the period as low pressure becomes more likely to set up to the north or northeast of the UK.
“After a cold start to the period, especially in the north, temperatures are likely to return to around average later.”